Forever in a Chance
by Trunks lil' sis
Summary: Sharpay Evans is nearly untouchable. Troy Bolton is already taken. A chance meeting forever links the two, who find themselves drawn to each other despite their differences. When love follows the real danger begins. Troypay. AU. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

It was on a Saturday that Troy found himself at the local mall shopping for his girlfriend Gabriella's birthday present, who's birthday just happened to be the following day. He wasn't per say the kind of boyfriend who forgot things easily, especially special events that only culminated once a year, but it was Basketball season and playoffs were coming up soon. He'd been so caught up between his father drilling him every day before and after school, and his studies, of which is mother required before he could even think about basketball, that Gabriella completely skipped his mind all together. She was a quiet girl, so it was bound to happen once in a while. She didn't remind him of stuff like that. And apparently neither did any of his friends or at least until the last moment. So Troy Bolton was forced to accept the coming wrath of his father and forgo Saturday double-practice in favor of the over crowded and annoying mall—with Chad by his side naturally, whining the whole time.

It wasn't that Troy really hated the mall, because he adored the Sports Shop and the food court, and several other places that he liked to visit in moderation. But it was more the people that drove him insane, especially on the weekend. Saturday and Sunday brought out all the school kids with too much free time, and the overbearing parents on their days off, and the senior citizens who seemed to take offence at just about everyone. The lines were long, the food never seemed as good and the place was a madhouse, with people flailing everywhere and clogging up every space. It was a potent combination that Troy disliked.

Yet there was no other choice but to brave the insanity of the mall. Gabriella's birthday party was scheduled for noon the following day and Troy had already agreed to show up early and help her mother set up the backyard for the party. That meant it was either today or never, and the never encompassed several very stern looks from Gabriella and her mother, and perhaps a cold shoulder or two from the female teen. Troy had no doubt that she wouldn't say anything if he failed to produced a marvelous, spectacular, just for her present, because Gabriella wasn't the kind of girl to make a fuss about birthday presents, but she'd show her displeasure in other ways. Troy was a manly man, but he was still a boyfriend, and girlfriends could be scary when they were angry.

His biggest problem was easily what to get for her. They'd been dating since late in their freshmen year, and even now as juniors, Gabriella's likes and dislikes baffled Troy. She liked all things academic, but not so much things artistic or sports related. So he had first thought to get her a book, but finding Gabriella a book she didn't already own or would be interested in was next to impossible, and he passed the book shop, dragging Chad along nearly by the ear, without a second look.

He thought of something scientific, and visited a store keyed directly to an educational demographic that housed telescopes, chemist kits and dinosaur replicas. Sadly none of it had been anywhere in his price range, as he had only the previous summer gotten a job, and most of his funds had been used up already buying Gabriella lunch on a daily basis and taking her out on special dates.

Nearly two hours into the excursion Troy was ready to admit defeat.

"What am I going to do?" he asked Chad as the two of them sat in the food court. He propped his elbows up on the table and shot a glance towards his best friend who was currently gorging himself on two hot dogs, and a hamburger waiting to be devoured afterwards. "Hey, you're supposed to be helping me here. That's why I brought you along."

Chad swallowed a bite of hotdog and shot Troy a knowing look. "Man, I didn't even want to come. You're the one who was too scared of all the girl scouts and preteens. Pretty Boy, they aren't going to mob you next to the ice cream shop, if that's what you're worried about."

Troy swept a fry off Chad's place and munched on it, admitting, "You never know. You just can't predict those girls who watch the Disney channel."

Chad huffed loudly. "You're thinking too much. Gabriella doesn't care what you get her. You could get her a pet rock and she'd be happy just so long as handsome, suave, Basketball Captain Troy Bolton gave it to her."

"Hey!" Troy protested, picking up on what Chad was implying.

"It's totally the truth and you know it."

Troy rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "I was thinking about jewelry. Maybe something simple and nice."

"There's nothing here your wallet can afford," Chad said, turning his attention back to his hotdog.

Troy took a sip from his soda and let his eyes wander the surrounding area, resolved that jewelry was out of his price range, not that Gabriella wore any kind, aside from the charm bracelet that her father had given her as an infant.

The mall was large, enough so that he wasn't lacking in any sort of diversity. There were plenty of places to eat and buy clothing, with jewelry shops, gag shops, books shops, shoe shops, and a place devoted entirely to candy. There was a shop exclusively for things of an organic nature, but Troy didn't think Gabriella's mother would appreciate him getting his girlfriend a hemp tee or socks.

And so with every place he passed over he felt his nerves intensify a little more and his blood pressure increase. There was nothing, he was convinced. Nothing to get for Gabriella, and if he didn't get her anything he couldn't show up at the birthday part, and if he didn't show at the birthday party, well, Troy had already been through the scenario in his mind and it wasn't looking good.

"The dance is coming up, right?" Chad asked.

Troy nodded. The Wildcat's upperclassmen dance was something they'd all been looking forward to since freshmen year. Only Junior's and Seniors were allowed to attend, and while it was nothing drastically different from any other dance, it did have an air of maturity to it, evidenced by the music allowed and the leniency of the chaperones when it came to the dancing. Troy had naturally asked Gabriella—back when they were freshmen of course.

"So what?" Troy asked.

Chad deadpanned at him. "Get her something for the dance."

Troy shook his head. He'd already been over clothing a million times. Gabriella wasn't entirely picky over her clothing, and Troy thought he had a rough idea of what size she was, but frankly he was scared of the women's department, and Gabriella herself. He was afraid he'd get her something she hated and she'd be forced to wear it because she was his girlfriend, and everyone would know he'd been the one to buy her that atrocious sweater—and that was if he even made it out of the women's section alive. Troy even sought to avoid shoes, knowing how sensitive women were about shoe sizes, and that he'd be in a world of pain if he got her a pair of sandals two sizes too big and implied that she had big feet.

"No go," Troy said, broadcasting his fears to Chad who had excellent receptors on those sorts of matters.

"No, not like a shirt or whatever," Chad said. "Get her some of those hair thingies she likes so much or a scarf or an anklet or whatever girls are calling accessories these days. Get her something red or white to match her dress and she'll love it and think you're the best ever. Trust me, I got Taylor these bangles last year for homecoming and she went on for hours about how they matched her dress."

"Red or white," Troy confirmed. It was almost a set in stone tradition that all those attending the upperclassmen dance wore red or white clothing, the standard colors of the high school. While Gabriella hadn't shown him her dress yet, it was a sure bet that it was one of the two colors. "That could work." His eyes strayed to a department store. "So all we have to do is get in there and get out with everything still attached."

"Who said anything about we?" Chad asked, a shiver running through his body. "Those bangles I got for Taylor? Six months of therapy, man. I'm telling you, you couldn't pay me to go back in there. You're on your own."

Troy cut him a glare and downed the rest of his soda. "Some best friend you are."

One trip to the bathroom and ride up the escalator later Troy was standing in front of the necessary department store. With a half wince he took a cautious step in, and then carefully proceeded to the women's department, following the maze of signs and the unhelpful directory.

He was beginning to think Chad's advice was golden when the section was nearly empty and his eye caught a display rack of several affordable accessories. He was particularly drawn to a pretty red scarf that he was sure Gabriella would love.

He felt it with his fingers, pleased at how thin the material was and that it wouldn't look like the kind of scarves they all wrapped themselves in when the temperature dropped too low. Instead it was delicate and relatively short, meaning it could be tied around the neck fashionably. He'd almost decided on it when another one, this time instead a white scarf, caught his eye and he reached for it. Another hand met his and he jumped a little.

Troy gazed at the woman standing next to him with a pinched brow. She certainly looked out a place, at least to his eyes, standing in a pretty pink shirt and top, but almost tucked away with her jacket buttoned to the top, a hat shoved down on her head and sunglasses hiding her eyes. She kept her face turned down a little as well, which struck Troy as the oddest.

"I'm sorry," he said, drawing his hand back.

She looked up at him and pulled the scarf from the rack. "I hope so. I saw that scarf from across the room."

Troy stood there a bit awkwardly.

"But now that I see it up close," she said tersely, rubbing the material almost roughly. "No, you can have it." She nearly tossed it at him and he had to juggle the other scarf not to drop both.

"You don't like it?" he asked, strangely drawn to the teen that he guessed was roughly his age, if not inches shorter. "I think it's pretty." And he did, much more than the red one fisted in his left hand. The white one had a golden pattern to it, just light enough to catch under the artificial light of the store, and not enough to offset the purity of the scarf itself. "It would probably look great on you."

He could see the blush high on her cheeks and it looked so out of place to him on her pale features.

"I'm Troy Bolton."

She reached up, somewhat hesitantly, and pulled off her sunglasses. Striking blue eyes peered back at him. "I'm," she started then caught herself. "Well, Troy Bolton, you can call me Shar."

The hat came off as well during the introduction and Troy found himself standing before possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. Gabriella was cute, no doubt about it, and adorable, but Shar was in a class Troy saw only in magazines and the movies. Her golden hair fell around her shoulders, freed from where it had been tucked up under the hat and framed her soft features beautifully. Matched with her bold eye color Shar almost embodied perfection to him, or at least what he had expected it might look like.

And that was of course why his senses left him and he became a complete geek, unable to keep himself from taking in her curves and especially her legs, even when she caught him looking and raised an eyebrow.

"See something you like?" she asked, making him feel like a right pervert.

"No, oh, I'm sorry," he stumbled. "No."

The corners of her mouth pulled up a bit. "So you don't like?"

His eye shot to the floor and he lost his grip on both scarves. "That's not what I meant," he tried, and reached down for the beautiful scarves on the floor, loosing his balance in the process, and stumbling into the display. His weight brought it down and his female acquaintance barely had enough time to jump out of the way as Troy began a chain reaction, toppling one display after another.

"Do you do this often?" Shar asked with a smile.

Troy picked himself up uneasily. "I'm so sorry, Shar. Are you alright?" He gave her a once over, realizing how close she had been to going down with him.

"Yeah, fine," she said, jamming her hat back on her head and the sunglasses over her eyes. She gave a sharp look around, noticing the sales people coming towards them due to the catastrophe that had just occurred. "Listen," she said quickly. "I like you. You're cute, but I've gotta go. See you around, Troy Bolton."

Then she was gone, and Troy wondered if she was even there to begin with, until he smelled the remains of her sweet perfume and needed to hold himself up against another rack of clothing.

The manager of the store appeared halfway through Troy attempting to get the racks back up and the clothing off the ground. "I'm leaving," he said, with his hands up in defeat. He recognized the glare on the manager's face and realized he could be quickly escorted to the mall's security holding cell with his parent's required to pick him up at a moment's notice.

"Hey, wait," he said, as he was ushered away from the mess. He swept back into the scene of the mess and scooped up the two scarves.

He bought the red one for Gabriella, and the white for Shar before he even knew what he was doing.

Chad was gone from the food cart by the time Troy got back, which slightly upset him

because he had expected his friend to wait up for him. He checked his cell, and scrolled through the text messages of his friends until he found Chad's, which informed him of his departure nearly fifteen minutes earlier. Troy groaned a bit, as Chad had driven and Troy was now faced with the bus as his own option home.

He escaped from the mall as soon as possible, the bag with the scarves clutched tightly in his hands. He wanted to get home as soon as possible and wrap Gabriella's present, before he came to his senses and realized he needed to be giving Gabriella the white scarf, and that he'd bought said scarf for a girl that he'd probably never see again, as he did not recognize her from school.

And what, he asked himself, had actually possessed him enough to buy both. Troy Bolton was not the type of guy to be so easily taken in by a pretty girl, even if she was the before mentioned vision of perfection. And Shar had even decided she didn't want the scarf after examining it, so why, Troy asked again, why had he paid for it? In the back of his mind he was taunted with the fact that it smelled like Shar, but Troy's girlfriend was Gabriella, not Shar, and so he pushed the thoughts away as fast as possible.

What he needed to concentrate on was getting home. His dad most certainly was already waiting for him out on the court, tapping his foot and sighing dramatically like he always did when Troy put off basketball for any semblance of a social life. The sooner Troy got home the sooner he could get to running laps and letting his dad vent his aggravation, and maybe if he was lucky he'd have enough time to wrap Gabriella's present (the red scarf he reminded himself annoyingly) and call his girlfriend about the following day. And maybe stash the white scarf under his bed and try to never think about it again, but only if there was time.

The bus stop that Troy needed to get home was located a bit away from the mall, two streets down and one street over. The route had been in place long before the mall and hadn't been updated since, which mean Troy had to jog a bit if he wanted to make the next bus, or wait twenty minutes for the one that came afterwards.

A scream cut through the air and startled Troy out of his jog. He turned on heel towards the scream and stood in place, breathing a bit hard. Then he heard it again, and ever the hero he took off directly for the source.

It was Shar, he realized turning the corner. It was Shar being manhandled by two guys pulling her ever closer to a dark SUV. The picture radiated wrong to Troy, and he sprinted as hard as he could to close the distance, aware that she was in serious trouble.

He was only vaguely aware of Shar screaming at him, though the words were a mere blur. He took a flying leap at the man nearest Shar, catching him in the chest and pulling him down to the ground. They struggled for a bit and despite the man's size Troy managed to avoid flailing hands that tried to grab at him.

"Troy!" Shar yelled to him, the other man in black having let her go.

"Run!" Troy enforced, feeling his strength go. "Run and get help!"

"No, Troy," Shar screamed. "Stop!"

"Shar?" Troy questioned at the expression on her face.

Everything else was lost to him as the second man leapt into the fray and Troy was overtaken and knocked to roughly into the cemented ground where he lost consciousness.

And so it was on a Saturday, while shopping for a birthday present for his girlfriend, who's birthday just happened to be the next day, that Troy Bolton began the first day of a life changing experience.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: There is a lot more to Shar than Troy ever imagined, and then there's her scary father …

Notes: As my University begins in three weeks and I work full time I can't promise regular updates. I can only write on my days off and when I have the time to do so, so weeks may pass without an update, or there may be two or three a week. It just depends.

Warnings: Adult themes and mild cursing

Disclaimer: As I sadly forgot this in the first chapter, I state it now. I do not claim to own anyone of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I steal them, I have no money to be sued

Troy came awake with a strong jerk, a stark contrast to the almost lazy way he usually woke. He pushed up off the soft surface he was lying on and coughed a bit, feeling sore and slightly disorientated. There was a thundering ache in his head and his chest constricted painfully as he sought to get his bearing, aware all too suddenly that he was not in his room, nor anywhere else he could recognize.

Instead he was on a bed, relatively small with a soft blue coverlet. His jacket was missing, his shoes tucked neatly at the foot of the bed and while Troy assured himself he was safe for the moment, he couldn't help the fear that crept up in him as moments of memory came back to him. He remembered all too clearly jumping head first into a fight with two very large men all in an attempt to save a girl who'd spent two minutes in his company. Troy considered himself a gentleman, chivalry and duty bound, but in the current moment he also considered himself to be a complete idiot.

"It's about time you woke up."

Troy startled almost violently and whipped his head around to the voice, frustrated he hadn't noticed the pale boy in the corner earlier. Troy appraised him with careful eyes, noting the boy's passive stance and soft features before responding carefully, "Who are you and where am I?"

Across the room the boy leaning against the wall with his arms crossed pushed off the surface and journeyed closer to Troy with an indescribable look on his face. "You're not too bright, are you?" he asked Troy. "I mean most guys would have taken one look at Henry and Harrison and headed right for the hills."

Troy's features pinched. He wanted to know who the male in front of him was, and why he seemed to be on a first name basis with the two men who'd tried to kidnap Shar, and had royally trashed him into the ground.

"They were trying to shove Shar into a car and she clearly did not want to go," Troy said awkwardly, feeling some inane urge to defend his actions. "I did what was right."

The boy let out a loud laugh, hands coming to hug his stomach as if he was going to double over in a fit. Troy felt offended.

"No, no," he told Troy, waving off his actions, "it's not about rushing to her aid, because she inspires that kind of behavior in most guys, I blame her genetics, sadly it's something plastic surgeons can't fix." Troy looked on with amazement as he continued, "It's more that she let you call her Shar. She hasn't let anyone call her that for years now, not even me and I'm her brother."

Troy got off the bed and stood of feet that were shaky, but held him up nonetheless. "Her brother?" He couldn't find his jacket but he slipped his shoes on as quickly as he could manage.

"Yeah," the blonde nodded. "I'm Shar—Sharpay's brother. I'm Ryan."

In a daze Troy repeated, "Brother?"

Ryan laughed again and then reached forward to latch onto Troy's arm. "You're still a little out of it, right? I guess having a two hundred and fifty pound man slam you into the sidewalk will do that to a person, right?"

"What happened?" Troy asked, his head hurting even more than before.

"Well," Ryan said pensively, "from what I gather, and mind you it isn't much because Sharpay was screaming her head off when you were brought in, you saw Henry and Harrison trying to bring Sharpay home and got into a mess you didn't understand. Though I bet most of this is probably Sharpay's fault. In fact I'm sure of it. She did run off again."

Troy ran a hand through his hair, shaking off Ryan's grip. "So those two guys weren't trying to kidnap her?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. Actually they're supposed to keep us from getting kidnapped in the first place. They're like our overgrown, really mean, but totally squishy on the inside babysitters."

Troy nearly gaped. Bodyguards? Who was this Shar—Sharpay, he reminded himself, who was this girl and her brother and why did they have bodyguards?

"It looked like they were kidnapping her," Troy reiterated.

"I'm not surprised," Ryan said with a shrug. "We're both not supposed to go off without one or both of them. I follow the rules fairly well I guess, not that there's much to do in this town anyway, but Sharpay's always been a little unmanageable. She likes to do her own thing, and it's almost always against our father's wishes. And Henry and Harrison take their job pretty seriously, so I guess when they saw her out on the streets by herself and when she probably refused to come, they did whatever it took to bring her in. And that apparently meant knocking you out," Ryan ended with a grimace,

Troy nearly stuttered. He gazed at Ryan, trying to detect a hint deception. "One of the guys was literally dragging her towards the car. He was manhandling her," Troy deadpanned.

Ryan turned his back towards Troy and headed to the door, revealing its location to Troy who'd been unable to find it earlier in the darkened room.

"Our father loves us a great deal," Ryan said almost sadly. "So much that he hired Henry and Harrison to keep us alive, and it's really up to them to use whatever methods they need to. We don't get a say in how we're handled for the most part." Ryan turned back to him with a small smile and added, "But don't let Sharpay's size fool you. She may look delicate, but she's got ten years of self-defense under her belt and she gives as good as she gets. She's a spitfire."

Troy sat back down on the bed, feeling nauseous. "Who are you people?" he asked, voice borderline on the edge of hysteria. "You have bodyguards? Are people trying to kill Shar? Seriously, that's the only reason people have bodyguards." His fingers curled into the bedspread and he told Ryan in a deathly calm voice, "I want to go home now."

Home. He hadn't even thought about home. The curtains in the room were so dark he couldn't tell what time of day it was outside, as only a few low lights illuminated the room. Troy rationalized it couldn't have been more than a few hours, but he had wanted to get home as fast as possible earlier that day.

"Okay," Ryan said with a nod and reached for the door handle. He said lastly to Troy, "Sharpay is special Troy, she always has been, but we haven't always needed people to watch out for us. It's recent, okay, so the next time you see her don't look at her like she's a freak. It isn't her fault we've got people following us around, and frankly it's a good idea if you don't ask about why." Then he pulled open the door and let light stream into the room. "You coming?" he asked.

Still feeling somewhat numb Troy climbed to his feet again and followed Ryan out of the room.

Troy could tell he was in a big house from the sheer length of the hallway. The observation narrowed the location of the house down to a fairly small area, as Troy knew most of the town had average sized houses with complexes of apartments scattered around the center of town. The only large houses were on the outskirts of town in two main areas.

When he and Ryan reached the staircase and he was able to see they were on the second level, heading up to the third, it narrowed the location down even further and Troy had a fairly good idea of which cluster of houses he was currently at.

When they reached the top of the third landing Troy recognized the large man who greeted Ryan with a stoic nod. "Hi, Henry," Ryan said, but Troy knew him as the man who'd only been trying to usher Sharpay towards the car. He wasn't the one who had been actually dragging her there. "This is Troy," Ryan added with a smirk as they passed by. "I'm sure you remember him."

Troy was fairly sure he heard a growl, and he walked just a little closer to Ryan afterwards.

The approached the far door at the end of the hallway and Ryan halted the two of them in front of it. "My father asked me to bring you up here personally when you woke up. He usually takes guests down in his office. This is his personal study. I'm not sure what that means, so just be careful, okay?"

"Careful of what?" Troy asked lowly, feeling his heart nearly pound through his chest with anxiety.

Ryan knocked once, then twice, and then turned the polished handle and pushed the door open.

Heat was the first thing that Troy felt, even before he stepped into the room. It was the fireplace, he surmised easily, that was giving off the heat. He thought it was odd, and even a bit crazy that Sharpay and Ryan's father had a full fire going with the temperature still so warm outside, but he'd also learned with his brief interactions with the family so far that they were strange in general.

Ryan directed Troy to a desk in the corner where an elderly gentleman was perched in a large chair, slouched just a little, with his elbows on the desk. He was older than Troy had expected him to look, or maybe just a little bit too weary. Still, his eyes were piercing and sharp, reminding Troy that his appearance was not to be taken lightly.

And next to him stood Sharpay, who'd changed into a pale blue summer dressed. It was the most beautiful dress Troy had ever seen, though he was sure it was because Sharpay was wearing it, and she made quite the picture with her golden hair curling off her shoulders.

"You're awake?" Sharpay said happily, bouncing a little in her place. She made no attempt to move near him, but he could sense she wanted to, or at least he hoped she did.

"Yeah," Troy said with a coy smile, hand brushing the back of his head. "Um, so," he said, unsure of what to say to the calculating older man and the shinning Sharpay.

"You remember Harrison, don't you?" Ryan asked, jabbing in the direction of a large man nearly hidden completely to the side of the room. Troy almost shivered at the hard look he received from the man whom he'd had an altercation with. It was also almost frightful how well everyone around him was suddenly blending in to the environment.

A strong voice cut into the air authoritatively and said, "Sharpay tells me you interfered with a situation you knew nothing of and one that did not warrant interference to begin with."

Sharpay's father had a regal voice, deep and strong, baring no resemblance to the frail looking body it emerged from. It was a voice that Troy knew he could respect, and yet fear at the same time.

"To be honest, sir," Troy said a bit softly, "all I saw was a girl being thrown into a car. Shar was kicking and screaming and I didn't think. I just ran to help."

The man's ambivalent look shifted darkly at Troy's words and he questioned, "Do you not often think, boy?"

"Daddy," Sharpay hissed to him, hands going to her hips. "You said," she reminded, trailing off when she noticed Troy looking her direction.

"I am willing," the man told Troy coolly, "to overlook your obstruction, as I believe you were acting in the best interest of my daughter. However, make no mistake, Sharpay had neither the authority nor the right to be out on her own and my men were doing what I pay them to do. Your actions are not excused, and should you ever impede any action I sanction against my children again—"

Sharpay cut in suddenly, "Daddy says thank you. He realizes you were coming to my rescue, even if you didn't know I didn't need a rescue." She cut a look to her father when he tried to interrupt and instead continued, "And, he says that you're a nice young man who should be allowed to take his daughter out."

Sharpay's father looked incredibly startled and coughed a bit. Troy could hear Ryan snickering fairly loudly. Troy himself was at a loss as to what to say, feeling a deep blush creep up on his face. It had been a long time since he'd met a girl so forward with her intentions, whatever they were, because it was increasingly difficult to determine what Sharpay's were. It was actually refreshing and nice.

"Well?" Sharpay demanded, tapping her foot a bit. She looked between Troy and her father, ignoring Ryan and his laughter completely.

"Sharpay," Troy managed, "I, errr."

Sharpay's father was an impressive man, Troy could tell from the very start, but it was incredibly amusing to watch the much older man wilt under his daughter's strong scowl.

Troy felt forgotten when the man told Sharpay sharply, "You barely know the boy."

Blue eyes narrowed and she countered, "That's because we've been in this godforsaken town for two months and you haven't let me meet anyone. I want one friend, daddy. Just one. And Troy's nice, you know." Troy balked a little under her praise.

"You have a brother," her father countered. "There are two of you. Amuse each other."

"Ryan is boring."

To the side Ryan snorted loudly.

"Daddy," Sharpay nearly whined, "you already said you liked him!"

Troy was pretty sure he hadn't.

"Sharpay Evans, my word is final, and I tell you no!" A fist came crashing down on the desk and both Sharpay and Ryan jumped. Troy was startled, but nothing to the likes of fear he saw in Ryan's eyes. Sharpay's gaze was downcast so he couldn't see her expression, but had he been a gambling man he would have bet that there was similar fear on her own face.

After a heavy pause Sharpay sniffed a bit and stormed from the room, barely giving Troy more than a fleeting look with red eyes. Ryan sighed and trailed after her, leaving Troy alone with their father and the dangerous looking man in the corner of the room.

"Do you like my daughter?" the man asked Troy abruptly.

Troy froze for a moment before answering, "As what, sir? She's a very nice girl."

"You know as what," Sharpay's father thundered and Troy took a step back. He knew at once he was dealing with a more than average overprotective father, for what reasons Troy was sure he'd probably never find out. And it was a change, considering Gabriella's father had died when she was a baby and her mother had always been enthusiastic about their relationship. And Troy had never really seriously dated anyone before Gabriella so he was a bit amiss with the whole situation.

"I have a girlfriend, sir," Troy said with an even voice. "I enjoy Sharpay's company. She's a very nice person. But I do have a girlfriend, and I'm very happy with her. If I spent more time with Sharpay it would only be in the context of friendship." And Troy had almost convinced himself, and prayed he had with Sharpay's father.

The man said nothing and instead glared towards Troy. Troy wasn't sure how long the man spent looking at him, but it felt like hours before he waved his hand at the teenager. "Harrison will show you out. I doubt I need to enforce the necessity of your silence regarding my daughter, son and where you have been for the past several hours." Troy picked up the warning clearly, resolved to the fact that he'd probably have two broken legs if he opened his mouth to anyone, even Gabriella or his mom.

Troy kept his resolve all the way down the stairs to the front door, even with the bodyguard's eyes burning holes in the back of his head the entire way. Troy wanted nothing more than to make the other man walk in front, feeling more than a little uneasy with having his back turned to the violent man, but he kept his composure like his life depended upon it. He was frankly quite scared to show any weakness.

He didn't see Sharpay or Ryan on his way out of the house.

Troy knew exactly where he was the moment he stepped out of the house. He followed the driveway all the way down from the house with Harrison trailing behind him and waited for the gate to buzz and allow him to leave.

Troy spared one last look to the house before stepping completely off the property.

He thought for certain in that moment that he'd seen the last of Sharpay. She was a phenomenally beautiful girl and so unique Troy was sure that had he not been in a relationship with Gabriella that he would have openly pursued her—or at least if she hadn't had such a completely scary father and bodyguards. But the facts were most certainly that Sharpay was almost completely untouchable, and if he attempted he was sure he'd be missing body parts. And then there was Gabriella, who Troy knew he cared deeply for, but what he had begun to think was love before was now suddenly something else when compared to Sharpay. It was something so completely confusing that Troy almost didn't want to think about it.

Troy looked towards the horizon, taking in the setting sun and figuring he'd been at Sharpay's home for five or so hours. He was in the Cambridge area and he knew it was a good hour's walk from his own home, and if he wanted to get home before his parents sent out the cops he had to leave right away. So Troy started down the sidewalk towards home.

He was over halfway home when he realized somewhere between intercepting Sharpay and her bodyguards, and waking up in her home, that he'd lost not only Gabriella's birthday present but the scarf he'd purchased for Sharpay.

Troy was sure his life had just become more antagonistic that he'd ever thought possible before.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: At Gabriella's party Troy begins to strongly question his feelings for her while

another encounter with Sharpay plays havoc with Troy's heart.

Notes: as always I give my gratitude to those people who take the time to read and review my stories, because I write not only for myself, but for them as well.

Warnings: Adult themes and mild cursing

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Three:

Troy couldn't help the series of yawns that came from him the morning of Gabriella's party, even as he'd already been awake for several hours and busy with the decorations. He knew it was directly related to the fact that he'd had a poor night's sleep. His parent's disapproving looks coupled with his indecision over Sharpay had keep him awake most of the night, and what little sleep he had managed had been troubled.

Truth told he wanted to skip Gabriella's party all together, not feeling at all up to smiling and pretending like everything in his life was exactly like it had been two days previous. But she was his girlfriend and his participation was all but required, and he had promised to help set everything up with Gabriella's mom, so there was currently no getting out of it at all.

So currently he was perched up on a stepping stool, streamers stretched out in his hands and Gabriella's mom warning him to be careful lest he fall and injure himself.

"Troy," the older woman said softly, a handful of balloons in one hand and a helium tank next to her. "Gabriella tells me that you told her this morning you were going to go for an informal birthday present."

Troy ducked his head a bit. "Yes, ma'am. I thought it would be nice if I cooked Gabriella dinner and we had a nice night just to ourselves." He swayed a bit uneasily on the stool at Gabriella's mother's questioning look, and added, "My parents will be in the den, don't worry, we won't be alone, but things have been so hectic the past couple months we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together."

Troy hoped it didn't sound desperate, or like a last minute plan, even though it had been. When Troy had arrived home the previous night and been promptly grounded by his parents, with the exception of Gabriella's party of course, he'd been flat out of luck with Gabriella's present. Even if he hadn't been grounded, heading back to the mall hadn't been an option, nor would his checkbook allowed for it. So he'd been forced to improvise.

"I think it's sweet," the woman told him finally, and then went back to blowing up balloons.

They finished with the decorations around ten, roughly a half hour before the early party guests began to arrive. Troy took the time to relax out by Gabriella's pool with a glass of iced tea, wondering when his girlfriend was going to get back from her birthday inspired trip to the spa with Taylor.

Chad, like he had promised, was there at ten-fifteen, waving to Troy as he passed through the side gate with Gabriella's birthday present in one hand. He sat it on the table near the patio door and joined Troy near the pool.

"Where'd you go yesterday?" Troy asked, a frown on his face. "I wasn't gone that long."

Chad looked apologetic. "My sister, man. She called me in tears from the skate rink and I had to go get her right away. I meant to call last night, dude, but she and my parents had a major meltdown and it was like world war three in my house."

Troy nodded easily enough and said, "Okay. I was just wondering. You left me without a ride."

With Gabriella turning sixteen Troy was now the only one of their small but tight knit group that wasn't of age to drive yet. Granted, his birthday was a mere month away, but now more than ever he was feeling the strain of being the youngest. Troy had no doubt that Gabriella's mother would allow her to drive the family car when available, and both Chad and Taylor's parents had gotten them cars on the eve of their sweet sixteen. Most of Troy's friends on the basketball team had cars, and all of them had licenses, and even Kelsi whom he rarely hung out with but was friends with, drove a used but reliable car to school every morning. Troy felt every bit the baby of the group, and he had to wonder with his parents if he'd get a car in four weeks, or if they'd jip him and instead get him a new bike.

"You need a ride home from here?" Chad asked, assuming Troy's mom had dropped him off.

Troy shrugged. "Maybe. Depends if Gabriella wants to do something afterwards."

Chad shook his head and made a twirling action with his finger. "Wrapped around your finger, man. Wrapped around."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Because Taylor doesn't have you, right?"

They talked easily for the next twenty minutes and people slowly began to trickle in. They were all friends from the local high school, mostly from their own grade, but being heavily engrossed in the academic programs at the school Gabriella had grown to be close with several juniors and seniors, some who showed and others who didn't.

Troy fell into easy conversation with Chad and two other members of the East High basketball team by the time Gabriella arrived. She stepped into the back yard wearing a lavender dress and Troy smiled at her, thinking she looked nice. When she drew closer he pressed a kiss to her cheek and pulled an arm around her shoulders.

"You have fun?" he asked her, looking over at Taylor who was showing her manicure off to Kelsi and several other girls from their class.

"It was okay," Gabriella said softy.

Troy wasn't surprised at her answer. Taylor most certainly was the kind of girl who liked to pamper herself with manicures, pedicures and massages. Gabriella was the kind of girl who preferred to lounge around in her pajamas with a good book. Troy liked how simple Gabriella was, as opposed to Taylor, who was so demanding Troy wasn't sure how Chad dealt with her, let alone dated her.

Across the patio a kid popped a CD into the stereo and when Troy asked Gabriella to dance the party began in full. They danced, sang a bit, and munched on the snacks Troy had helped set out earlier. Afterwards there was cake and presents, where Troy sat by Gabriella's side diligently with one arm around her waist and pretended that he didn't want to be anywhere else.

Time seemed to pass slowly for Troy, and he felt himself becoming more lethargic with each hour. He was a bit disturbed with the sudden shift in his perspective on his friends and Gabriella. They tired him out by being so inactive. They were predictable and plain. Gabriella wasn't anything special, and while it hadn't ever bothered him before, now it was disheartening. He knew she'd never surprise him or argue with him or make him so mad he questioned why he was with her in the first place, only to come back to the realization that he was nothing without her, and he wanted that. He wanted to feel with Gabriella how Sharpay felt, and it was so wrong, he knew, but he couldn't help himself or his feelings.

Chad, ever the watchful friend noticed his bestfriend's demeanor and well into the afternoon he pulled Troy aside and asked, "Man, you alright? What's wrong with you?"

Troy shrugged helplessly and said, "I dunno."

They were alone, well off to the side of the house with no chance for anyone overhearing him.

Chad asked, "Did something happen yesterday at the mall? You're acting all kinds of strange, Bolton."

Troy reached up and ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the short strands a bit. "Chad," he said softly, "do you ever, I mean, do you ever take a good look at your life and realize not that it has gotten boring, but its always been?"

"What brought this on?" Chas asked.

"It's nothing," Troy said, trying to shake off his friend. "It's just today when I woke up I had this really strange feeling. It's been gnawing away at me all day long and driving me insane. It's like my life is so boring. Everything about it. But it doesn't have to be. You know?"

Chad looked at him wide eyed. "No, and you're kinda scaring me a little. You have a great life. You're basketball captain. You have two great parents. You have Gabriella." There might have been a spark of something in Troy's eyes when Chad said her name, because he then asked, "Is this about Gabriella?"

Troy leaned back against the wall and scrubbed his hands over his face. "I thought I was happy," he admitted slowly. "I thought Gabriella made me happy."

"You are the perfect couple," Chad supplied. "All American boy meets all American girl. They fall in love, go to the dance together and go off to have lots of little babies, a dog and a white picket fence."

Troy felt a shiver pass through his frame at Chad's words, only suddenly realizing how disturbing the idea of spending the rest of his life, let alone the rest of the year with Gabriella made him. He liked her well enough, but he was fairly certain he couldn't see himself marrying her, or having children with her, or even buying a house with her. She was very special to him and he cared for her so much, but there were limits to the feelings—especially since meeting Sharpay.

Even if she was completely out of reach, brief contact with her had shown him that he was far more attracted to pretty girls willing to speak their mind and be a little forceful than the docile sort like Gabriella. He wanted someone who'd keep him on his toes, and make him work for love. Troy wanted a girl who made a fire burn in him and Gabriella certainly did not.

"Why the change of heart?" Chad asked. "The last I checked you were perfectly happy to go off and play house with her."

Troy said bashfully, "After you left I sort of met a girl."

Chad gapped at his best friend. "You dog!" he crowed, slapping Troy on the back. "What kind of girl?"

"A kind that I've never met before. Chad, man, she was so beautiful and witty and forceful. She's the girl who knows what she wants and goes for it."

"You sound like you're infatuated with her."

Troy shook himself from his daze. "But you can't ever say anything to Gabriella," Troy nearly pleaded. "I'm probably never going to see Shar again, and even if I did she's completely unattainable, and I do care for Gabriella and I don't want to break her heart. Please don't say anything. Swear you won't."

Chad held up his hands defensively. "I'm your bro," he reminded, "and if you don't want Gabriella to know you've been cruising on another girl then I won't say anything, but man, you're walking a dangerous line."

"Thanks," Troy breathed out.

They headed back indoors where Troy tried his best to not show any of his doubts, realizing it was Gabriella's day and she deserved to enjoy her birthday party. Soon, he compromised with himself. Soon he would confront his real feelings for Gabriella and decide if theirs was a relationship that he was ready to weather.

As it turned out Troy caught a ride home with Chad after all, as Gabriella and her mother had already made plans to have a special dinner just the two of them. They didn't speak again about Sharpay or Troy's wavering feelings for Gabriella. Instead they listened to some music and fifteen minutes after leaving Gabriella's Chad dropped him off at the edge of the driveway.

As Troy was waving goodbye to Chad he noticed both that his parents were most likely not home, probably having expected him to stay much later with Gabriella, and that there a suspiciously familiar SUV parked across the street. Troy felt his feet glued to the ground when he was sure he recognized the vehicle, and then dug into his pocket for his keys, ready to make a flying leap into his house if necessary.

Then the door to the SUV opened and the large, black haired man that came towards him Troy knew for a fact was one of Sharpay and Ryan's bodyguards. Troy recalled his name was Henry, and while nether bodyguard seemed especially nice or friendly, he seemed the better of the two.

"I didn't say anything to anyone," Troy said in a rush, wishing desperately his feet would cooperate with him.

"Come with me," Henry said in a tone that did not allow for cooperation.

"I can't," Troy said, jerking a thumb towards his house. "Parents, you know."

Henry's eyebrow rose. "They are both currently dinning at a steak house forty-two miles from here. The left approximately thirty minutes ago and won't be returning for at least another hour."

Troy looked up at him. "You're really scary. You know that, right?"

Henry escorted him to the SUV and with a quick glance around the deserted neighborhood jerked the door open and nearly tossed Troy in.

Troy righted himself in the spacious backseat as soon as he was capable, feeling the engine turn over and the car start to move.

"You okay?" An egger voice asked.

"Shar?" Troy asked, rubbing the side of his neck. "What's going on?"

She smiled at him from the other seat in the back and turned to face him despite the seatbelt cutting into her shoulder.

"I thought your dad made it pretty clear that I wasn't going to see you again, and if I even mentioned your name to anyone I'd lose my legs in some horrific accident."

Sharpay bit down on her lip. "Daddy's just being careful. He doesn't mean to be so scary. Anyway, I told him that getting to spend some more time with you meant more to me than anything else in the world and that I'd give up my Christmas presents if I got to see you again, and if I didn't I'd never love him again."

Troy gulped.

"Daddy gave in and said that Henry and I could pick you up." She brushed golden hair behind an ear. "He wanted to send Harrison at first, but the two of you aren't exactly best friends."

"I could have come to you," Troy said with a small, nervous chuckle. "I mean I already know where you live."

Sharpay shrugged. "It's safer this way. And, Daddy said that we had to come get you and I couldn't get out of the car for anything." Which explained why Henry had manhandled Troy into the car. "We just had to wait for you to get back from that party."

"You're keeping tabs on me and my parents?" Troy asked in a dark voice, eyes cutting towards Henry who drove in silence.

Sharpay's pale and cool hand caught his chin and turned his head back towards him. She pinned him with a serious stare and he felt a blush settle over his face with her contact. Then finally she asked him, "How do you feel about ice cream?"

Henry drove them to the local ice cream parlor. The sat in the car while Henry went inside to get them the ice cream.

"You go to the local high school?" Sharpay asked Troy while they waited.

"Uh, yeah."

"What's it like?" Her eyes shone so brightly with curiosity that he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. "How many classes do you have? How long do you go? What are the other people like?"

He asked her carefully, "Haven't you ever been to school before."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Of course both Ryan and I have. We went to a private kindergarten for a whole year before we went abroad, and we've had private tutors since." Her tone warned him not to pry. "So about that high school?" she prompted.

"Well," he said with a silly smile. "There are lots of kids, because it's a really big school. There are a whole bunch of different classes, like English, and history and science that we have to take, and then there are electives that we can pick from, like band or choir."

"Choir?" Sharpay asked, learning into his personal space so far that he could smell the sweet flowerily fragrance coming off her. "And do you have musicals?"

"Yeah. Two or three a year."

Sharpay clasped her hands together and collapsed back in her seat nearly swooning, "I love musicals. I haven't been to one in so long. I'd even go to a high school musical."

"Would you like to be in one?" Troy asked.

"Yes," she said gravely. "More than anything else."

Henry, juggling Sharpay's strawberry and his own chocolate ice cream opened the driver's door and slid in, handing back the treats. He started up the car again and drove them back in the direction of Troy's house.

Troy pushed his spoon around in the ice cream and looked up into her blue eyes. He answered to her, "So would I, especially if you were in it."

When she blushed he thought it made her look even more heavenly.

He only got to spend twenty or so more minutes with her, but they were spent talking mainly about music and musicals, so they were the most enjoyable minutes of his life. He almost completely forgot about Henry when he concentrated on Sharpay; on her sweet voice and perfect smell and the vision of flawlessness she made when she giggled a bit at something he said and seemed genuinely interested in almost everything he had to say.

"Your parents will be home within ten minutes," Henry interrupted, finger hitting the button to unlock the door. "I suggest you enter your house at once."

"I'll see you again, okay?" Sharpay said. Without warning she slid forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Definitely."

Troy stumbled from the car and only just managed to make it to his front door, looking back at the idling SUV.

He gave the tinted windows a small wave and prepared to enter the house when the backdoor to the SUV opened.

Sharpay shot out from the vehicle in a blur and Troy could only imagine the obscenities probably coming Henry's mouth.

"You forgot this!" she said, sliding up to his position only slightly out of breath from her sprint. She handed over the package Troy had lost containing the scarves he'd bought the other day. "I mean to give this to you," she said in a rush, realizing Henry had parked the car and would certainly be heading their direction in a few seconds.

"Thanks," he said.

"The red one's in there," she said honestly. "I decided I liked the white one after all."

His mouth ran away from him and he said, "I bought it for you."

A pleased look on her face she threw her arms around Troy and gave him a sound hug. "Thanks for caring," she said in a haunting way that may Troy wonder if she didn't feel that way enough, despite having a family who truly did seem to love her. "It means a lot," she finished, then learned forwards and kissed him again, only this time on the lips, and it wasn't a brush of her lips like before, but instead soft pressure and desperate longing.

The Henry was looming over them, and taking Sharpay by the upper arm he nearly ripping her away, glaring hard at Troy.

Sharpay was long gone and his parents were pulling into the drive way as Troy was still trying to get his hand to stop shaking enough to slot the key into the door. His mother pressed the back of her hand against his forehead while his father looked at him suspiciously enough for Troy to believe he'd be getting a talk about drugs rather soon.

And all the while he could only think about how Sharpay's lips had felt on his own, and how he never wanted to kiss or be kissed by anyone else in his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy tries to hide from the world, and when that fails, Ryan inspires him to try again.

Notes: As always, reviews mean the world to me, and those who take the time to do so earn special brownie points.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Four:

The day after Gabriella's party was Sunday, and Troy took the opportunity to hide from the world, Gabriella and Sharpay included. His grounding was nothing more than ample timing on the part of his parents, as Troy had no urge to crawl out from under his blankets and face the cruel world that seemed hell bent on destroying him and his once perfect life.

He spent the better half of the morning curled up on his bed, head firmly shoved under his blankets hoping that time would just stop and he never had to move or think again.

But as the minutes passed and became hours, and even through the rumbling in his stomach, Troy couldn't help but think about the previous day's events. Two amazingly disastrous things had happened to upset his life, and after the both of them he realized there was no going back.

The first, he confided within himself sullenly, was that he'd come to a firm conclusion that his feelings for Gabriella were less than solid, if they had ever been. She was a sweet girl, really, and it was her selflessness, charm and purity that had attracted him in the first place. She placed others before herself, was studious, cared for everyone she met and thought the best in people even when proven otherwise. She was a gem, a real classy girl in a world of high skirts and promiscuity. He'd always thought she was a perfect match for him because he's was nothing special himself, and together they could be a happy average.

But maybe he'd only thought that because he'd never met a girl like Sharpay.

Still, the fact of the matter was that even if he wasn't in love with Gabriella, or wanted to be in the future, she was still a kind an gentle person, and he cared for her. He couldn't break her heart by cheating on her with another girl, and likewise he couldn't break her heart by leaving her. She wasn't exactly independent, and he knew she needed him to a degree, for emotional stability if nothing else. He pictured her crumbling with his declaration to leave their relationship, and even if he was overreacting dramatically, he was sure there'd be tears. Troy Bolton never wanted to cause her tears.

So he was stuck. He couldn't bring himself to love Gabriella or leave her, and it wasn't fair to either of them.

His other large problem, notably the cause of the first, was his growing relationship with a girl he'd known a little over a day and a half. Even if he'd somehow convinced himself that he could have been just friends with her before the previous night, the kiss had shattered everything, because his knees had locked up, he'd started to sweat and all he could think about was how right it was. It was the kind of kiss that inspired one to have an epiphany, and he'd had his about the mess he was jumping headfirst into.

Part of him would occasionally drift off into a fantasy, where they were just two average kids going to East High. She'd be the star of all the high school musicals, and he'd be single, maybe never having dated Gabriella at all. In fact in some of the dreams Gabriella wasn't around, and occasionally she was nothing but a bookish new student. They were good daydreams, because Troy knew were they true, he and Shar might have stood a chance against the world.

Troy didn't doubt that he was infatuated with Sharpay, but he wasn't stupid either. She was a red warning. A flashing light of danger. She had a scary father and two scary bodyguards, or possibly more--probably more. Fathers were generally protective over their children, daughters especially, but not to the degree of Sharpay's father. And one didn't simply have bodyguards for no reason. They were the biggest indication of trouble. Bodyguards were meant to protect and save lives, and Troy was sure he didn't want to get mixed up in a situation where his life could be at risk.

And Sharpay was pushy, Troy knew for a fact. She was opinionated, and had to have things her way. She'd be a pain to date, and try to please. She took often and didn't seem to always give back. She showed streaks of selfishness and a willingness to manipulate the people around her. She was the kind of girl his parents wouldn't be pleased to have in the family. They much preferred quiet and reserved Gabriella.

Then again, those faults were part of her appeal. There was something about Sharpay that was real. She felt human, as opposed to Gabriella who had the tendency to feel two dimensional. Sharpay in comparison was a well fleshed out and complex character if Troy ever saw one. There were rare bouts of humanity he saw in her that told him without words that she'd been hurt before, and there was a soft, intelligent and kind girl inside. She was just a hard shell with a gooey inside, and she was begging for that shell to crack under the right circumstances.

Troy couldn't lie and tell himself that the kiss hadn't sealed his fate. He couldn't quite admit it yet, but he'd known in that moment that she was the girl for him. He was going to marry her, have a life with her; kids and a dog, and they were going to grow old together. He knew it all from two seconds of contact. That kind of kiss.

His mother made him motivate towards the noon hour. She opened his door calmly, ripped off his bed covers, pulled open his window blinds and threw a clean pair of jeans at him. He received the unspoken message of the garden needing tending loud and clear, no words necessary.

The weeding was actually something therapeutic. All he had to do was concentrate on the plants in front of him, and not on the mess that was his love life.

"Are you on drugs?" his father asked him suddenly when Troy was about halfway through with his task.

Troy looked up startled, sitting back on his haunches and pulling off the weeding gloves. "No," he said with a nervous laugh.

Troy's father nodded a bit. "I just couldn't help but notice these past few days that you've been a little different. You okay, son?"

"I feel different," Troy responded.

"That's okay, you know," came the careful answer. "When boys get to be about your age, things start to happen to them that can be very strange--"

Troy nearly leapt to his feet. "No, no, dad, really, it's nothing like that. Please, we had this talk in gym class already."

The two Bolton men shared a nervous look between each other.

Troy sighed and admitted to his father, "I think I'm in love."

A dark look came over the older man. He warned, "Troy, your mother and I like Gabriella very much, but it's basketball season, and you need to--"

"--keep my head in the game," Troy finished for him. "I know, I know. But this is seriously. It isn't Gabriella."

"Oh."

Troy looked up a the blazing sun momentarily and then settled back down on his knees. "Look, I love you, and I'd like to think I could talk to you about these kinds of things, but I'm still trying to figure it all out myself. I'm in love with the wrong girl, dad, and that's why I've been so weird. I just need time, I'm not on drugs, and hopefully this will all just go away in a bit."

"We can talk about this," his father enforced, "whenever you're ready. Whenever you've figured it out for yourself. Come find me. You may find it a bit hard to imagine, but when I was your age I was caught between two girls. Your mother an another. I'd like to think I made the right choice, but you could have ended up half Sandy Harris instead of Leena Thompson."

Troy shared the shiver that passed through his father's frame and then took up his gardening gloves again.

Maybe his parents felt sorry for him. Maybe his father had shared his dilemma with his mother. Either way, roughly an hour before dinner Troy's parents sent him out to the nearby store for things that Troy was sure his mother could have picked up the following day on her grocery run. Not that he was complaining, because it was nice to be out from under his parent's seemingly endless gaze.

Of course he was also scared beyond belief. He had a horrific feeling that he was being watched--tracked. He couldn't help the sense of foreboding in the back of his mind.

The black SUV trailing him down the street didn't help either.

"We gotta stop meeting like this," Troy said after another block when he'd been cut off by the SUV, picked up by a familiar man in a black suit and tossed ceremoniously in the back of the automobile.

"To be fair," Ryan said jokingly, "the last time we met you out light a light and snoring like a little baby. Though if you're talking about being on your back, you're dead on."

Troy flipped around and sat up with a jerk, having believed he'd be seeing Sharpay instead of her brother.

"Surprised to see me, right?" Ryan asked. He then leaned forward and tapped Henry on the shoulder, telling him, "just drive around the block a couple times."

"Frankly," Troy confessed, "yeah."

Ryan bit his lip a bit as he said, "Well, about that, you don't have to worry about my sister again. You won't be seeing her again."

Troy's nasty habit of losing control of his own tongue stuck again as he blurted out desperately to Ryan, "If this is about that kiss, it wasn't even my fault!"

An eyebrow belonging to Ryan rose accusingly. "Granted, I didn't exactly need that bit of information, Troy, but it isn't far from the subject that I want to talk to you about."

Troy forced himself to breathe evenly, and once he was sure his nerves weren't completely obliterated, he said stoically to Ryan, "Shar told me that she talked to her father. He agreed to let her seem me, under his conditions, but nonetheless."

"Yeah, we'll that's my father giving into Sharpay and her puppy-dog look."

Troy found Ryan an almost impossible challenge of pinning down. He, just like his sister, was a person unlike any other Troy had ever met in his life. At times Troy had felt like Ryan was on track to becoming his friend; a sweet and nice boy, if not just a bit dense. But at other times he was almost standoffish. His personality was almost so much like Sharpay's that Troy expected he would have at least been able to better predict the mood changes, but there was something a bit darker than normal lurking below the surface.

Still, Troy didn't know what it was, but for all his similarities with Sharpay, Ryan was also on the edge of being her complete opposite. When Troy looked at him he saw pain and hurt just bellow the surface. He saw bad things that scared him, and he thought it was probably only a miracle that he didn't see the same when he looked at Sharpay.

"My family is not an open book," Ryan said, bringing Troy back to the present and out of his thoughts. "The fact that no one besides you and the local law enforcement knows we're here isn't by accident. We're a really secretive family, Troy, for reasons I can't tell you and you should never ask about, but they're real reasons."

"It would help if you did," Troy murmured, tired of knowing so little about the very mysterious Ryan and Sharpay.

"It's for your safety."

Troy huffed and said, "At this point, I really couldn't care less."

Ryan pondered this for a moment, and then said slowly, "My father is an important man. What he doesn't isn't important, but there are a lot of people who aren't happy with his work. And some years ago they started to make it painfully obvious."

Troy gulped.

"I had a mother once, you know."

"Oh," Troy said softly, understand the implication.

"And that's why Sharpay and I don't have lives," Ryan continued. "We don't go to school like normal kids, we don't leave our safe houses, we don't have friends and, well," he gestured to the man driving. "That said, I want you to understand that when you met Sharpay it was the first time she'd managed to get on her own in probably years. It was only natural she was going to cling to someone."

"What are you saying?"

Troy shrugged. "You could have been a big, purple, dancing dinosaur and she probably would have become just as infatuated as long as you were real."

Troy glared and said, "Thanks so much for comparing me to a children's show."

"I'm not saying under different circumstances you two couldn't have been friends, but right now I know my sister pretty well, and she only likes you so much because you're the first boy to pay attention to her in years. You're convenient, Troy, and this isn't going to work out good for either of you."

Troy leaned forward and pressed his forehead into the headrest of the seat in front of him.

"We aren't going to be here forever, Troy. It always happens. Eventually too many people find out about us, or the wrong person exposes us or whatever, and we have to move. You won't know when and one day we just won't be here. You won't get to say goodbye to Sharpay and she won't get within a hundred feet of you."

Voice a bit muffled by the head rest, Troy said, "I really like her, Ryan. I've never met anyone like her."

"And I can't stress enough how dangerous it is just to be near us," Ryan said, hand on Troy's shoulder. "Sharpay and I are sort of desensitized to it, and you--you just don't have any idea, but this is some deep stuff. Sharpay has a real problem with looking at a situation and determining if it's good for other people, and I know she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to you because of her."

"What if I only see her under your father's permission, like yesterday." Troy bit back the nausea that came up from within him. Earlier he'd been coming to terms with the idea of trying to detach himself from all things Sharpay, but he realized suddenly he'd only been fooling himself. And he was panicking now. He couldn't lose her. Her just couldn't. Not after he'd had a chance to really talk to her and feel out what kind of a person she was. She was too special for him to just forget about.

"You could kill her," Ryan said sharply.

Troy's eyes jerked towards him.

"One wrong word, Troy, to the wrong person. That's all it would take. Sharpay and I are masters at not being noticed, but even we make mistakes with all our experience. I'm scared to think of how easily you might give her away. She'd be the perfect leverage against our father. You could get her killed and I can't let that happen, Troy. I won't let you take out my family because my sister is latching onto the first boy she's seen in a while and he's letting it happen because he thinks she's cute."

Stunned, Troy managed, "I have a girlfriend."

Ryan huffed, "Don't kid yourself. I haven't been on a date in forever, but I've seen the way you look at my sister and you want to do more than just date her."

Troy felt his stomach bottom out.

"Now get a clue," Ryan said fairly harshly. "You can't date her. You can't see her and you probably shouldn't think about her. I'll talk to my father, make him see the truth here, and you need to do your part as well. Don't try to see her and don't see her if she tries. We'll be gone sooner rather than later, and it's better and safer this way."

They drove on for a few more minutes before they were back in front of Troy's house. The basketball star popped open the door in a hurt daze.

"I am sorry," Ryan told him softly.

When Troy entered his house without the groceries his parents had sent him for, they at least seemed to sense his mood. His father made no attempt to speak to him, instead leaving him to his own devices, and later on his mother brought him a mug of hot chocolate. She rubbed his back soothingly.

"You ever lose something important, but you didn't realize it was important until it was gone, mom?" Troy asked.

She ran fingers softly thought his hair and said, "I have. But I suspect what you're feeling right now is quite different."

He peeked up at her from under the covers, a bit astounded at the recognition in her features.

"I don't know the situation," she assured him, "but I have a pretty good idea. And a mother always knows."

Troy wondered briefly if she'd been talking to his father. She probably had. She probably knew about his female troubles that had caused him to curl up on his bed like an overdramatic teen, a mere second away from crying his eyes out.

"She was the one."

Troy's mother leaned down to press a kiss against his hairline. "Then fight for her. It's never too late. Don't settle for anything less than the one."

Troy only wished it was possible.


	5. Chapter 5

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy attempts a return to normalcy, and then fate smacks him in the face again.

Notes: Be prepared for these chapters to start coming out a lot faster now, because I've just learned the summary for HSM2 and lord knows my muse is beyond displeased and is demanding a rewrite without having even seen the movie yet.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Five: 

School provided an ample distraction for Troy as it usually did. On Monday morning he'd almost convinced himself he wasn't falling apart and that Sharpay, Ryan and their whole family was better forgotten--even if it hurt painfully to do so. He realized, his heart and the feelings coming from it aside, Ryan had been right and he and Sharpay could have never actually sustained a relationship. After all, they were two very different people from radically opposite worlds. Death threats and impending violence disregarded momentarily, they'd have driven each other crazy a week into the relationship at least.

His dad had already left for the high school by the time Troy emerged from his bedroom, having showered and dressed, ready for breakfast.

"Where's the terror?" Troy asked as he approached the dinning room table. He scoped the room out, noting his mother flipping pancakes at the stove and his little brother suspiciously missing.

"Take a seat. You'll eat at least two pancakes before I let you leave this house this morning," his mother called, gesturing with the spatula to Troy's usual spot at the table. "And you leave Teddy to me."

Troy had poured the syrup on a stack of pancakes before his younger brother came streaking into the room, shirt on backwards and tinfoil folded into the shape of a hat jammed over his head.

The eight year old eyed the pancakes his mother placed in front of him and in a scrutinizing voice asked, "You cooked these?"

The older woman smiled adorningly at her youngest and ruffled his hair after pulling the foil hat off.

"Mom!" he wailed, nearly falling off his chair reaching back for the hat.

"Your logic is flawed," Troy pointed out, mouth half full of sugary sweetness. "If aliens did exist, and they came here of all places, your brain, or lack thereof, would be the last one they'd want to probe." Troy slid a look over to his mom who was a good deal away from the brothers, and added, "And I don't think it's your brain that they'd want to probe anyway."

"Mom!"

Troy smiled happily, feeling better than before, and continued with his pancakes.

He had half a cup of milk, a bowl of fruit salad and managed to squeeze in two pieces of buttered toast before the clock on the stove informed him that Chad would be pulling up within minutes.

"You sure you're okay?" Troy's mother asked with concern. She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and said, "You've had a trying couple of days. If you don't feel one hundred percent I'll consider letting you stay home--at least for your morning classes.

The fact of the matter was that Troy didn't feel even ten percent. He felt squashed like a bug. His head ached, his chest felt suspiciously hollow and all his energy seemed to have left him entirely. He wanted to get back into bed and not have to go to school where he was sure to see Gabriella. But staying home on his mother's day off meant he'd be subjected to random fever checks and attempts to share his feelings. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was share his feelings at the moment. He felt much better keeping them all bottled up inside.

"Maybe Teddy was right," Troy remarked wishfully, "maybe aliens have been visiting us. Maybe they've taken your brain along with his."

His mother crossed her arms. "Very funny, young man."

Troy thought it was, almost hysterically, considering the last time he'd attempted to stay home from school and been genuinely sick his mother had almost demanded proof of his nausea. Of course it wasn't that she didn't care, but that she simply prided herself on her boys and their academic achievements.

"I feel okay," Troy said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "A little tired, but okay. Plus, I've got a history test today and you know dad's gonna drill me hard during practice today."

Troy felt himself wilt under his mother's strong gaze. He wondered if maybe she knew he'd cried (just a little) the previous night. He wouldn't be surprised if she did, because like most mothers his own was scary with the amount of knowledge she always seemed to have about her children.

The phone in Troy's pocket vibrated signaling Chad had arrived and was waiting for him.

"See you later, terror," Troy called to his brother and head for the front door.

Walking through the main doors to East High was easily the most taxing emotional task Troy had undertaken in a long time. If Chad hadn't been walking in front of him, engaged in small rant about the basketball budget for the year, Troy was sure he might not have been able to cross the thresh hold.

He saw Gabriella a mere couple minutes later and it was surprisingly easy to walk up to her with a smile on his face, put an arm around her and pretend like she was still his world. He felt mostly on autopilot, and had never been more thankful for anything in his life before.

"Have a good after birthday? Productive?" Troy asked, making it no secret that he was a bit envious of the mound of presents Gabriella had received. He was sure that she had half a million cousins hidden away somewhere, maybe in California or New York, because she'd had more from people he didn't recognize, than from those he did.

She smiled knowingly and said, "I told you, most of those were from my friends at my old high school. They were also mostly books and school related things. Nothing for you to worry about."

"So you say, Gabby."

She blushed under his arm and hugged books to her chest.

Taylor joined himself, Gabriella and Chad a few moments later and their time spent before class was enjoyable, at least so long as Troy let himself go and tried not to think about everything weighing so deeply on his mind.

It was of course then that his eye caught the flyer advertising try outs for the upcoming musical. Darbus, the talented but completely crazy drama teacher had selected A Corus Line, a movie Troy had probably seen with his mother half a dozen times.

"Hey, Gabriella," he asked absentmindedly, "what would you say about trying out for the musical?"

Gabriella looked startled at him. "The musical? Gosh, I don't know. I think I'd be way too scared to get up on stage in front of anyone, plus, my mom would much rather I not take time away from my studies for anything. It's going to be a rough couple of years if I'm going to get that scholarship to Stanford."

Troy had nearly forgotten that Gabriella had all but assumed they'd be continuing to the next level of education together. She wanted to study at Stanford in California because it was, in her very valued opinion, the best school for her intended major. And she'd pointed out that Stanford had an amazing basketball team and if he was drafted by them, they could go on being a happy couple. He knew she wouldn't want to do anything that could ever slightly jeopardize that plan.

But he couldn't help thinking Sharpay wouldn't have needed to be asked at all. Troy had a feeling she would have been the one dragging him by the arm into the auditions.

Not that he was thinking about Sharpay anymore.

"We got basketball season, man," Chad reminded sourly. "You need to keep your full attention on the game. Don't go getting involved in prancing around on the stage."

Troy sighed in a way that he hoped wasn't too obvious of his disappointment.

"Say, Troy?" Gabriella asked, pulling on his hand lightly. "When are we going to have that dinner you promised me?" She grinned warmly at him. "I was thinking tomorrow would be great."

Troy stuttered a bit, suddenly realizing he had promised a birthday present of a dinner to his girlfriend.

But the thought of sharing a romantic and intimate dinner with Gabriella now, with the way he felt about her was enough to churn his stomach.

Still, he needed to talk with her. As much has he wanted to go back and try to work on restoring his feeling for Gabriella, it just wasn't possible. He needed to let her know. He had to be truthful with her, even if he made her cry and even if he would feel like scum afterwards.

"Tomorrow would be great, Gabby. Dinner at seven?"

She reached up and pecked him on the lips and Troy felt cold wash over him.

The following night Troy managed to get mother and father to take his little brother out the movies by the time Gabriella was slated to show up. It had been nearly a miracle to achieve such a thing, as his parents weren't comfortable leaving two teenagers alone for several hours at night to begin with, and his mother and father were even less pleased to see him do so with a girl that had been part of the reason for his unease the past few days.

"I'm going to tell her," he'd told them. "I'm going to tell her we're over and that I can't keep leading her along."

His mother had frowned at him and said, "Oh, Troy, not during her birthday dinner."

But he had to. It had to be done as soon as possible; before he lost his nerve.

Troy was no great cook, but he'd managed a pasta and shrimp combination, bread and vegetable fairly well following his mother's abundant cook books. He managed to not burn the dinner, set the table and prepare everything. He was rather proud of himself actually, striking the right mood. He wanted to make it clear that it wasn't supposed to be a romantic dinner. He hoped Gabriella understood.

He hadn't realized it was raining by the time Gabriella arrived and rang his doorbell. In fact the moment he pulled open the door a gust of wind nearly blew him back and the rain began to pelt him mercilessly. He barely recognized Gabriella in her heavy rain coat, boots and umbrella.

She managed, clearly out of breath from running from her car to the house, "There's the storm the weather men have been predicting for weeks." She peeled off her coat as Troy pushed the heavy door closed.

"You okay?" he asked, feeling rather sick when he got a good look at how dressed up she was. He felt even more wretched.

The whole day he'd been trying to find the most delicate way to put an end to the relationship. And he'd come up empty each and every time. Gabriella was just too sweet of a person for what Troy was about to do to her.

He actually wondered how he'd even managed to start dating the girl. It really had been an accident. They'd been paired together in one of their teacher's misshapen attempts to ward off teen pregnancy and promote abstinence. They'd gotten a darling sack of flour named Lu-Lu and strict instructions not to break her.

Troy had been more than happy to hand off Lu-Lu to his wife and go play basketball with the boys. But then she'd started taking the whole project so seriously. She dressed the sack of flour up, started prompting them to spent family time together, and even began taking care of him in a way that married people tended to. He'd liked her wanting to make him dinner and asking about his day, even if they'd spent more of their classes together than apart and essentially gone through the same things.

He'd also liked that she was probably the least clingy of the girls their age. And since getting a girlfriend was all the rage, getting one that would let you have man time and not want to be showered with chocolate and flowers was nice. Gabriella hadn't been the prettiest of the bunch, but she was most certainly the most attractive in terms of qualities, and Troy had probably been more attracted to that than anything else.

So while Chad was dating Mackenize Phillips who liked to take him into the janitor's closet during break, but always inevitably demanded some kind of compensation, Troy had Gabriella, who made him cookies and asked for nothing in return.

"It smells really good," Gabriella said, smelling the air with a pleased look on her face.

"Ah, it's shrimp fettuccini," Troy said almost bashfully. "I hope it came out alright. My mom showed me how to make it a long time ago, but I had to check in the books just to be sure."

"I'm sure it tastes fine," she said, sliding off her boots. "And next time I'll make you that lasagna you like so much. And my lemon bars. You like my lemon bars best, right?"

Troy could only nod.

They settled in to dinner easily enough, with Gabriella bringing up their latest history test and how concerned she was over the last few especially challenging questions.

"You know you did fine," he told her kindly, pouring her a glass of her favorite drink ginger ale. "If you want to worry about someone and that test I could take some. I think I bombed the whole second half."

She picked up her fork. "No you don't, Troy Bolton. I helped you study for that test for two whole days. You knew the material frontward and backwards. You did fine, too. I'd guarantee you, so long as you didn't let your nerves get the best of you. I know you do, some times, but really, you shouldn't." She dug into the pasta and her face lit up. She gushed, "Wow, Troy, this is great!"

"Thanks," he told her, tasting the pasta and shrimp himself.

"I was thinking tomorrow or the day after you could come over to my place. I want to show you the dress I picked out for dance. Well, actually, Taylor picked it out and I think it's a bit--well, just not my style. I'd like your opinion. And, you need to know what it looks like so we can match. The couples picture is nearly the best part."

Troy choked a bit on his drink and nodded, realizing he'd let himself get sidetracked by Gabriella.

"About that," Troy said, putting his fork down. Suddenly he lost his appetite. "I've been doing a lot of thinking this weekend," Troy said awkwardly. "I'd been thinking about my life and how happy I really am. About what needs to change and how much. Gabby, I've been thinking about us."

She looked up at him with a bit of concern in her eyes.

"Yes?" she prompted.

Lightening flashed through the kitchen window and both teens visibly jumped at strong, nearly violent knocking coming through the house.

"What was that?" Gabriella asked in a breathy and scared voice.

"Branches hitting the house?" Troy asked, mostly unsure.

Then the knocking came again and Troy realized it was the front door.

"It's the door," Troy said, standing up. "Wait here. I'll check it out. My parents would have used their key and we aren't expecting any company tonight."

Heart thumping almost painfully in his chest Troy unlatched the door and turned the handle, the door blowing it open nearly all the way.

And there was Sharpay, standing in a simple shirt and jeans and soaked to the bone. Through her bangs plastered to her forehead by the rain and her pale skin nearly shinning with wetness, he could clearly make out that she was crying, her shoulders shaking almost violently.

"Shar?" Troy gapped, unsure of what to do.

"Troy," she sobbed, almost curling in on herself. "Whatever Ryan told you--whatever it was, please, Troy, don't believe him. Please. Please."

She was almost hysterical and Troy, despite everything Ryan had said to him about there not being any contact between himself and Sharpay, well, he was still a gentleman and friend.

"Come here, okay? It's okay. Just calm down." He reached out and took her into his arms, feeling her small frame shiver. His own clothing soaked through due to her wetness and her arms came around his waist so tightly he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to move them at all.

"I tried not to come," she said into his shoulder. "Daddy said not to. He said I wasn't going to ever see you again no matter what because of whatever Ryan said to him. But I didn't know Ryan talked to you. I'm so sorry, Troy, but whatever Ryan said to you--" She lost herself again and her sobs over took her ability to speak.

Troy gazed out the open door looking for the familiar SUV but for the first time failed to see it.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked from behind him. "Who's that?"

Sharpay's legs gave out and suddenly she was dragging him down to the floor with her, surprisingly strong for being so petite.

"Gabriella," Troy said, looking back at her. "This is, err--"

With a small grunt Troy heaved Sharpay up into his arms, one arm hooked under her knees and the other around her back, bracing her against his chest.

Then Troy stood here, Sharpay crying in his arms and Gabriella gazing at him with a hurt and confused look, completely unsure of what to do.

All the while the rain continued to pelt both Sharpay and Troy, and flood his mother's foyer.


	6. Chapter 6

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy's life gets far more complicated before easy.

Notes: I'm averaging about a chapter a day and with rough planning I expect the fic to average out to around twenty-five chapters or so, though I am trying to rush a bit as my University starts the 27th of this month and afterwards I don't expect I'll have much time for the fic at all.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Six:

"Gabriella," Troy said almost desperately, water dripping off his bangs and leaking into his eyes, impairing his vision. "This is my friend. I'll explain everything later. Just help me, please."

They were standing exactly as they had been two minutes earlier, with Gabriella looking at the pair of them in confusion and worry, and Troy holding a shivering and sobbing Sharpay in his arms. It was a situation Troy had never expected to find himself in, and was completely at a loss as how to deal with. So he needed Gabriella's help, and he needed her not to ask questions at the moment.

"A friend?" Gabriella repeated slowly.

"Yeah, a friend," Troy stressed. Then Sharpay was quiet, though still shivering and Troy hefted her a little higher. "Help me," he implored again.

Gabriella gave a sharp nod and snapped to attention.

"We have to get her out of those clothes," Gabrielal said, gesturing towards the bathroom. "I'll get her undressed and warm her up, but I need you to get us a bunch of towels and something to change her into."

Troy followed after his girlfriend obediently, squeezing into the relatively small bathroom. He set Sharpay down on the toilet seat and allowed her to lean on Gabriella instead. He noted briefly that she seemed to be asleep, wheezing a bit. Troy was sure she'd gotten herself sick.

"Troy," Gabriella reminded, her fingers curling under Sharpay's shirt, but not pulling up.

"Oh," he realized, a red hue settling over his features. "I'll go get some more towels."

Rummaging around in the closet Troy wondered just how Sharpay had come to be at his door, and without the usual escorts.

She'd had a fight with her father or Ryan obviously, maybe even both. The news had probably been broken to her earlier about their discontinued friendship, but Troy was willing to bet she'd only just now decided to push the new boundaries. And then maybe Ryan had let their meeting slip, and naturally Sharpay had reacted badly.

He didn't know just how she'd managed to get out of her house, especially with the men of her family most likely on the look out more than ever. Or how she'd gotten all the way across town to his house--though from her clothing and the paleness of her skin he supposed she could have run the entire way.

How long would it be before scary men in suits showed up at his door? They'd be out looking for her the moment they realized she was gone, and Troy was willing to bet his house would be the first on their list to check out. They'd come in, take her away and he'd never see her again. It was reality, he just didn't know when it was going to happen.

By the time he returned to the bathroom he could hear the water running and Gabriella talking softly to Sharpay. He couldn't tell what she was saying exactly, voice muffled by the door, but it sounded comforting.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked, knocking his knuckles against the door. "I'm back with the towels."

"You can leave them there," Gabriella called loudly. "And then go put some hot water on."

Troy set them on the floor and sighed once at the closed door. Gabriella was mad. He could tell. She rarely ever got mad, but when she did she was short with him, almost authoritative. Maybe he even detected a hint of jealousy, not that he'd ever really known Gabriella to be jealous. Or rather she'd never had any reason to be jealous before. Troy had a feeling a lot of girls were threatened by Sharpay. Troy wasn't female and he was a bit threatened by her.

He put on the stove a medium sized pot of water and turned on the heat, leaning back against the counter lethargically. He couldn't help but think things couldn't possibly have gone worse. His dinner with Gabriella was completely ruined, Gabriella still had no idea he was planning to break up with her, and Sharpay had run away from home and was probably going to be sick from her exposure to the rain.

Mostly he cringed at the thought of having the two women he had managed to catch himself in a triangle with, in the same room, let alone under the same roof together.

It was going to blow up in his face, no doubt.

He figured Gabriella and Sharpay would be in the bathroom for some time, but he couldn't really be sure, so checking the water on the stove he headed to his room to look for something Sharpay could wear.

On a rare occasion or two Gabriella had ended up in his clothes, and she'd been more than dwarfed, not that he was an overly large teenager. And though Gabriella was a relatively small girl, she was far from Sharpay's size--having radically different body shapes. Sharpay was a mite taller, but definitely slimmer. Sharpay was almost too thin for Troy's liking, having grabbed her upper arm at one point and found his entire hand could wrap around it easily. She was just very tiny, naturally Troy hoped, and there was little chance of anything he owned not drowning her.

In the very back of his closet he found clothing that had been stashed away for years, as Troy was an admitted clutter bug, nearly incapable of throwing anything away. With an almost cry of victory he procured a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring, and the smallest tee-shirt he owned. The clothing was clean and the only kind he had to offer Sharpay, and he hoped it was enough. He momentarily entertained the idea of underwear, feeling firstly like a pervert, and secondly that there was absolutely nothing he could do for her in that department, and he couldn't trust his little brother's laundry for all the money in the world.

He returned to the bathroom and set the clothing in the same spot as the towels which were now gone. The water was off in the bathroom and Gabriella informed him they'd be out soon.

Troy spent his time waiting in the dinning room, cleaning up the dinner he'd prepared for Gabriella that was now cold. He placed the food in containers and into the fridge, wiped down the table and then took a seat at it, pressing his face into his hands.

"Troy?" Gabriella called through the house, "we need your help."

Troy climbed wearily to his feet. "Okay. I'm coming."

When next he saw Sharpay she was dry, save for her hair, and looking much better. The blue tint from her pale skin was gone. She was dressed in his clothing, and while they were far, far too big, she was at least out of her wet clothing.

"We can put her in my bed," Troy said, ignoring the startled look from Gabriella. He knew what she wanted to know. The house had a spare bedroom, a guest bedroom, and Gabriella wanted to know why Troy was putting a girl she'd never met in his bed, a very private and intimate place.

He bent down to pick Sharpay up, convinced she was sleeping at least somewhat peacefully, and nearly dropped her and the heat she radiated.

"She's hot!" he exclaimed, turning on Gabriella.

The girl nodded. "It's a fever, but not a bad one. The heat is evenly distributed through her body so she'll probably be fine, but I'd like to take her temperature and maybe get her some juice."

Troy took her right to his room, barely sparing a thought to the state of his room, knowing that while it wasn't dirty, it wasn't exactly clean either. Then together both he and Gabriella managed to get her tucked into his bed.

"So," Gabriella said, looking up at him, her eyes flicking occasionally down to the sleeping Sharpay. "You said she was a friend?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah. Let's go out into the living room and I'll tell you."

They settled on the couch a respectable distance away from each other.

"I only met her a few days ago, Gabby, on Saturday, actually. I'd like to think we're friends."

"Pretty good friends," Gabriella said softly, "judging by her coming here."

"I think I was the only one she could go to," Troy said evenly. "Shar doesn't exactly have anyone other than her family, and I bet she came here tonight because they're not getting along. Also, her brother and I recently talked and it wasn't the best conversation in the world. I think she found out what he said to me and that's the other part of why she's here." Troy sighed and rested his head on a hand. "I wouldn't turn a stranger away in this weather, Gabriella, let alone Sharpay."

Gabriella pursed her lips and then asked," She doesn't go to our school, does she? Does she go to West High?"

Troy shook his head. "She and her brother are pretty new in town and I think they're home schooled."

"Are we okay?" Gabriella asked suddenly. "I couldn't help but notice how you looked at Sharpay. You don't look at me like that anymore. I don't know if you ever did."

And then Troy panicked.

Because Gabriella was not a dumb girl. She was quiet and observant. She noticed things that other people didn't.

"What?" Troy said in a rush, almost shaking. "Gabriella, what? Sharpay is just--Gabby, you and I are--" He took a deep breath and then said. "Of course we're fine." He forced a smile. "You're my girlfriend. Sharpay is just some girl who needed help."

It was all wrong, every word coming out of his mouth, but he was suddenly so scared.

"Okay," Gabriella said, climbing to her feet. "I'm going to head home, okay? I'll see you tomorrow at school and you can make the dinner up to me some other night."

He watched her dress for the rain outside that had only intensified over time. He saw her to the door and then watched from the front window as she drove away carefully.

Troy didn't go back and see Sharpay right away. Instead he sat back down on the sofa, in the dim light of the room and tried to think out what had just happened.

He hadn't meant to lie to Gabriella again. In fact he'd meant to do just the opposite. It had been the perfect moment to tell her his feelings. There was no need to tell her his heart had replaced her with Sharpay, but instead merely that he'd fallen out of love with her, or he hadn't even been in love with her in the first place. Telling her would have been the honorable thing to do, and Troy thought she deserved as much.

But he had panicked and lost his nerve and been scared to death of how she might react, especially with Sharpay in the other room. He'd lost all his guts and been incapable of speaking the truth. So he'd lied, and dug himself even deeper into his hole.

The clock in the room chimed and Troy stood. His parents would be home soon and he still had to check on Sharpay, take her temperature, try and get some kind of explanation out of her and think up his own to tell his parents. Somehow he didn't think they'd be completely keen on the idea of a girl being in his bed, even if she was alone and only sleeping.

He dug the old thermometer out of his parents bathroom and sanitized it before heading to his room. With Sharpay sleeping deeply he was able to get a quick reading without her so much as fussing.

She indeed had a temperature, but it wasn't anything extremely high and he was sure as long as it didn't get any higher she'd be alright.

He made a quick trip back to the bathroom to see that Gabriella had hung Sharpay's dripping wet clothes up on a wrack to dry. He took them down and headed to the laundry room, intending to dry them for her.

Finally he was out of things to do. He had no choice but to return to her side. He pulled his desk chair over to the side of the bed and settled down. He leaned his elbows on his knees and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Sharpay?" he asked quietly. He loathed to wake her but he needed answers.

After a few more prods she blinked sleepy eyes open at him.

"Troy?" she asked in almost disbelief.

"Yeah," he said kindly. "You're at my house. Do you remember?"

Almost at once her eyes started to gather water. "I got so mad at daddy," she explained in a small voice. "I couldn't believe he'd gone back on his word. He was going to take you away from me."

She yawned and he was sure she wasn't completely aware of how lose she was allowing her answers to become.

"You found out about Ryan?" he asked.

"Ryan said he'd done it because he cared about me, and even you. He said it was for the best." Her features pinched. "He's just a sad, angry person. He doesn't want me to be happy because he can't be."

"I'm sure that's not it," Troy said, and believed it wholly. When Ryan had come to him it had been purely for Sharpay's welfare. Troy was sure that Ryan had done it all for Sharpay and not for himself. Ryan spoke about Sharpay with a certain look that radiated unconditional love. It was the same love Troy had for his own little brother, one that he understood well.

"I don't care," she said, shaking her head, eyes drooping. "I don't care if it's dangerous. I like you, Troy. You're worth the danger."

He leaned over and pressed his palm against her forehead. "You are too," he told her quietly.

"I'm not gonna stop seeing you." Her words began to blur somewhat together, eyes closed altogether. "You're the one."

He lost himself in the moment, startled by her words, having repeated them to his mother before. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're more than just special, Shar," he admitted to her, unsure if she was still awake or not. "and my mom was right, you're worth fighting for."

It was irresponsible and immature for Troy to say anything of the sort to Sharpay, and he was all too aware of the slick slope the two of them were beginning to walk. Gabriella aside, Troy hadn't completely forgotten about Sharpay's situation. He knew agreeing to keep seeing her was exposing himself and possibly his friends and family to danger. It was a horrible and selfish thing to do. But he couldn't ignore his heart.

Now more than ever he felt the urge to be as close to her as possible. He believed in soul mates and he believed in recognizing them. It was an almost childish notion, but he believed with every fiber of his being, and he was sure Sharpay was his. When he looked at her he felt something almost completely indescribable that he had a sinking suspicion was the beginning of the emotion love.

And if love was the case, Troy wasn't willing to let go of it. Love was the one thing Troy wasn't willing to compromise in his life.

He held her hand while she slept and contemplated the realization that he was possibly in love with Sharpay.

About half an hour later he heard his parents come stumbling in the door and his brother wailing about being wet and the traffic.

His mother called shortly, "Why is my floor wet?"

Troy rose from his spot next to Sharpay and left his room to greet his parents.

"Where's Gabriella?" his mother asked him sympathetically.

Troy held up his hands in a defensive position an told them, "Mom, dad, don't freak, okay?"

His father raised an eyebrow and his mother asked suspiciously, "About what?"

"I've got a girl in my bed."

It didn't come out right and naturally his parents freaked out.


	7. Chapter 7

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy finally gets a clue, and then tells his parents about said clue.

Notes: Recently caught HSM2. I just threw up a little in my mouth. I don't blame Ashley Tisdal or Zac Efron, of course. That blame is reserved for Vanessa Hudgens--and the poor writing.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Seven:

Troy sat at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hands, refusing to meet the demanding eyes of his father.

"Who is she?" his father asked, arms crossed.

Troy stared down into the murky liquid in his mug. His mother had made them all hot chocolate in an attempt to calm the whole family down, but Troy was sure none of them had touched the drink yet, far too preoccupied.

"She's that girl," Troy said slowly. "She's the girl I told you about."

"Alright. Then what's she doing in your bed?"

Troy gave an almost subconscious reaction and looked towards the hallway his room was located down. His mother was in there a the moment, checking over Sharpay and putting the water Troy had boiled earlier to good use in the hot water bottle. Troy supposed he ought to be thankful his mother was taking care of Sharpay rather than insisting she leave right away, but small favors weren't going to do much considering how deep Troy felt he was in.

With shaking hands and terrible nerves he told his father everything he dared. He explained how he'd been having dinner with Gabriella and Sharpay had shown up unexpected. He stressed he hadn't asked her over or expected to see her anymore, and he certainly had taken advantage of her in her current state.

"I know you wouldn't, son," his father said with a knowing chuckle.

"I think she ran all the way across town in the rain," Troy said. "I had to let her come in and dry off. And she was sobbing and I couldn't understand her. She was a wreck, dad, and I did the best I could."

"I assume Gabriella changed her clothes?"

Troy nodded emphatically.

"Alright, now who is she?"

Troy blinked at his father. "I just told you--"

"No," his father corrected, "you told me how she got here and what you did, but not who she is. Her name is Sharpay what? Does she go to your school? Who are her parents?"

Troy managed a small sip of the hot chocolate. "I can't tell you much," he said. "I swore I would keep her secrets dad, and I can't go back on my word."

The rain continued to pelt the house outside, only adding to Troy's glum mood. He wondered how much he could tell his father who would surely demand to know absolutely everything about Sharpay. Suddenly Troy knew what Ryan had been talking about when he'd voiced his concern over Troy discussing their family to other people. As much as Troy tried to avoid it, he'd mentioned Sharpay to Chad, shown her to Gabriella, and now he was explaining as much as he could about her to his parents. He trusted each person explicitly, but it was all too easy to let his tongue loose and potentially say too much to the wrong person.

Troy thought it was best to start with, "Dad, she's in danger." It caught his dad's attention and almost solidified what they would talk about would be in strict confidentiality. "She's in danger and that's why I can't tell you a lot. But what I do know is that she's an amazing person who doesn't deserve half the crap she has to go through. She shouldn't have to look over her shoulder every three seconds and be afraid to make friends with anyone and not be allowed to have a normal life."

"What kind of danger?" his father asked darkly.

Troy shrugged. "I don't really know. She and her brother are pretty tight lipped. All I know is there are some bad people out there that would jump at the chance to use her for leverage, and I don't think they'd give her back in one piece after they got what they wanted."

His father grew several shades paler than before and asked in a shaky voice, "What does that have to do with you?"

"When we first met it was a misunderstanding, really. I thought she was being kidnapped, but she really wasn't, and then I met her father and her brother and things have been pretty chaotic since then. I thought Sharpay and I could be friends, and I even thought for one stupid moment that we could be something more, but I agreed a couple days ago not to see her anymore, for everyone's sake."

"I agree," the older man confirmed, his mind on his family and any potential dangers posed to it. "Then how'd she end up here."

Troy rubbed a hand behind his head. "See, we all kind of made the decision for me not to see her anymore without Sharpay knowing about it. I guess she got into a fight with her family and came here."

"She needs to go back," Troy's father said sternly. "You need to get in touch with her family and get her out of here as soon as possible."

Troy looked startled. "She's sick, dad. And I'd bet my lucky basketball she doesn't want to go back to them. Now she's my friend above everything else, and I won't just stand by and let you kick her out of this house. Dad, she needs me right now."

Flushed, the basketball coach said, "You just got done telling me she's a danger to this family. Just having her here endangers us. She's a kid, I haven't forgotten Troy, and we're not just throwing her out on the streets, but my first priority is your, your mother and Teddy. Have you even thought about them?"

Fear did wash over Troy suddenly. Ryan and Sharpay didn't have a mother, and Troy couldn't imagine himself without one. She was the one constant in his life who never yelled at him, or hurt him in any way, or disappointed him. She was his backbone, his confidant and even into his teenage years a true friend. He couldn't imagine his life without her smile or her chocolate chip pancakes.

Then there was Teddy. His little brother was a royal pain in the rear end, and Troy had wished several times in his life that he was an only child, but when it came down to it, he loved his brother. He even thought he needed the terror running around and antagonizing him to keep him on his feet. If he lost Teddy due to his own actions he wasn't sure if he could go on, and he could never forgive himself.

"I told mom," Troy said evenly, "that she's the one."

"How can you know?" his father asked. "You're so young, Troy. You aren't even sixteen yet, and something like that is so precious."

Clear eyes shown from Troy when he said seriously, "I'd know her if I was fifteen or fifty. She's the one. I just know it. She's the one I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I'm supposed to love and honor and protect her; cherish her and value her above all others."

The elder man groaned. "Love, Troy, is a step you maybe think you're ready to take at any age, but you're just too young to know. You've known this girl for all of a couple days. You may think it's love but I guarantee you it isn't."

"That's where you're wrong," Troy argued back. "She's on my mind all the time. All I can think about is where she is, what she's doing and how she's feeling. I get this ache in my chest when we're apart and a creeping under my skin every time I even think about not being able to touch her. Dad, I'd do anything for her if she only asked. I don't know why, but I know I would, and I'd do it willingly. I'd put myself in harms way to take her out of it, and if that isn't love I don't know what is. When you look at mom don't you think you'd kill for her?"

Troy's father said nothing else.

"I'm going to be there for her," Troy continued. "I couldn't stand it if I wasn't, and I'm not going to let anyone keep us apart. I swear to you, I'll find some way to keep this family safe, but I won't give her up. Don't ask me to."

"Just a few days?" Troy's father asked him quietly. "You knew in just a few days?" The passion in his son's words shone with honestly, and he was resolved to the fact that his son believed what he was saying, whether it was the truth or not.

"Crazy, huh?" Troy laughed. "I tried to talk myself out of it a million times. I mean I'm in a relationship with Gabriella. I care about Gabriella. Falling in love with a girl in trouble is going to bring me nothing but trouble. But you can't stop love, dad. I can't stop the feeling and I really don't want to."

"You've put your mother and I in a decidedly hard place, young man."

Troy hung his head. "I am sorry."

"You boys done talking?"

Troy looked up at his mother's voice, seeing her lean against a nearby wall with her arms crossed and a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, mom, how's Shar?"

His mother sighed deeply and joined them at the table, folding her hands. "I expect she'll be fine. No need to worry, Troy. Her fever is already going down and there doesn't seem to be any sign of congestion. A full night's sleep will do her fine."

Troy breathed a sigh of relief.

"The boy's in love," his father told his mother sternly.

"Love?" she asked seriously.

"Love," Troy confirmed.

His mother said knowingly, "I thought so."

"Hmm?" Troy peered at his mother.

"Troy, had it only been lust it wouldn't have weighed on your mind so heavily. I had a feeling it was love. You've been more than just a little anxious and nervous these past few days, and when you told me she was the one it couldn't have been anything other than love."

"Infatuation," his father argued weakly, his heart not completely in it.

"Maybe at first," his mother eased out, "but certainly not now, right?"

"What am I going to do?" Troy asked. "I'm in love with a nearly untouchable girl."

"You can start with going to see her," his mother informed him gently. "She's awake, though I don't know for how much longer, and asking for you. Her fever is dropping but she's still a little out of it so don't be surprised if she says odd things."

Troy climbed to his feet. "What do I say to her?"

His mother said, "Whatever is in your heart. If she's truly the one for you, then you'll be the one for her."

"How much danger?" Troy's father asked his son finally. "How much trouble have you just brought into this house?"

"Ryan, her brother, told me that they used to have a mother. It's really best if she stays hidden, and I'm going to help her hide, I hope you will too. I trust myself to keep her safe, and I trust her family to try, but I don't know. Please, keep her secret for right now. Don't let anyone know she's here until she tells me what she wants to do."

"She's going to fall asleep again soon," his mother reminded.

Troy scurried from the room with one last pleading look to his parents.

As the approached his room he could hear voices. Peering into the room through the cracked door he could make out his little brother leaning over the bed Sharpay was occupying.

"Teddy," Troy said sharply. "Get out of here."

"I was just talking," he huffed, sticking his tongue out at Troy. He gave a shy wave to Sharpay and scampered off to his room.

"How you feeling?" Troy asked, seeing a few minutes with his mother had done Sharpay wonders.

"Tired," she said with a yawn. "Was that your little brother? I bet he'll grow up to be just as handsome as you."

Troy blushed a bit.

"What happened?" he asked. "You had a fight with your father and Ryan, right? And then you came here?"

She nodded, eyes drooping. "I snuck out the back. Daddy probably thinks I'm in my room."

Troy took her hand in his own. "Why'd you come here in person? Is there a reason you came to me?" There was hint of desperation in his voice, begging her not to say it was because he was her only friend. He wanted it to be for different reasons.

"Shar?" He hoped she hadn't fallen asleep.

"It's crazy. I'm crazy."

His forehead wrinkled. His mother had said she was a little out of it.

"That's okay, Shar, I'm a little crazy, too."

"No," she said, clutching his hand. "I'm crazy for you." She scowled suddenly. "And not because you're my first friend in a long time. Because you're nice and you don't have to be, especially to me. You care what I think about, what I want to do now and what I want to do later on with my life. You look at me like I'm important and you make me feel that way. So it's crazy."

Troy smiled awkwardly. "And here I was thinking I was the only crazy one. I mean who falls in love with a girl after meeting her a few days ago."

"Love?" Sharpay asked, eyebrows high. "Wow. Love."

Troy gulped hard. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

"Oh, that's pretty serious." She opened her eyes a bit more and shifted towards him. "Not like a sister?"

Troy laughed hard. "No, not like a sister." Troy didn't have a sister, but he was pretty sure boys didn't want to kiss their sisters like he wanted to kiss Sharpay."

She said, "That's good. I already got a brother. Don't need another one."

Troy leaned down close. "I don't care what Ryan or our parents say. I like you, Sharpay, probably even love you. I want to spend my time with you, and talk with you and kiss you. I want you and all that, and I hope you do too."

"You like musicals, right?" she asked, eyes completely shut.

"Uh, yeah," he said, positive she knew. They'd talked for a bit over ice cream about their mutual enjoyment of musicals.

"Good. No boyfriend of mine is going to not like them."

Troy rocked back a bit, disbelief ringing through his body. "Shar?"

She snored a bit, adorably so, and Troy felt his mind whirl.

When his thoughts came back to him a bit later he realized horrifically that he was now dating two girls. It had been bad enough when he was dating one and crushing on another. He had really thought the hole couldn't go any deeper.

"Troy?" His mother knocked softly on his door to alert him to her presence.

"Mom?"

"It's time for bed. All this excitement has kept both and Teddy up way too late." She threw a high eyebrow at him. "I changed the sheets in the guest bedroom. I expect you to sleep there tonight--the entire night."

"Mom!" Troy stood and made his way over to her.

"Hey," she said with a small smile, "you may be my very responsible teenage boy, but you're still a teenage boy."

Troy gave one last look to the sleeping Sharpay and left the room. In the morning they'd talk more, and figure out what they were going to do, and most importantly how to avoid the coming hurricane of Sharpay's family. But for the moment everyone was safe and in real need of sleep.

"You're in for a hard time, Troy," his mother told him cautiously. "I hope you're ready, and I hope she's worth it."

Troy nodded. "She's the one."


	8. Chapter 8

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Wherein Troy finds out just how much he's willing to give to have Sharpay in his life.

Notes: Honestly, I meant to have this out yesterday, but I always try to stay a couple chapters ahead of whatever I post and the next chapter is killing me. I don't even have half of it written yet, so no promises on when that's going to come out.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Eight:

Troy awoke to the smell of his mother's famous chocolate chip pancakes. Generally they had the plain ones every morning, because Troy's younger brother was rooted in a phase of refusing to eat anything else, and Troy's mother genuinely enjoyed cooking for her family before she headed off to work. But now Troy could smell the chocolate chips that only came around on special occasions. It mean his mother was in a good mood, though with the recent events Troy had no idea why.

He slipped into some fresh clothes, foregoing a shower and headed down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Morning, sleepyhead," his mother called from the stove, flipping a pancake expertly. "Have a seat. I was just about to send Sharpay to come get you." 

It was then that Troy realize the blonde was sitting at his kitchen table, already snacking on a pancake. She looked well rested and healthy, and so in place amongst his family that Troy felt something settle in his stomach. It was so right to have her here, asking for the syrup from his father and letting his little brother fashion her a tinfoil hat. He wanted to wake up every morning and see her there.

"Hey, Troy," she said, giving him a wave. "Why didn't you tell me your mom makes the best pancakes ever? Thanks again, Mrs. Bolton."

"No, problem dear. You come over here any time and I'll make you some pancakes."

Troy took the open seat across from Sharpay and held his plate up for his mother to deposited pancakes on. "Thanks," he said, digging in at once.

The breakfast tension was a lot better than Troy ever expected. There was a definite need from his parents to talk to him about Sharpay, and he needed to talk to them about her, and then get around to talking to her, but the air was easy. His father leafed through the paper, handing over the entertainment section easily enough to Sharpay. His younger brother shoved a tinfoil hat on Sharpay's head and while Troy could tell she wasn't pleased about the item, she left it on and continued eating. And ever so often she'd look up at him with her pretty brown eyes and smile, and the smile meant everything to him.

"I see you got your clothes out of the dryer," Troy remarked. She most certainly looked better in clothes that fit her, but there had been something appealing about her in his clothes.

She looked down at her shirt. "Yeah. My shirt's totally ruined, and I'm getting these jeans off as soon as possible, but no offence, Troy, your clothes were way too big for me. Comfortable," she added with a blush, "but way too big."

Troy's mother finished at the stove and took a seat next to her husband, remarking, "Well, if you don't mind the clothes being a few decades old I used to be your size and I'm sure I've got some of my old high school clothes up in the attic."

Sharpay dropped her fork and leaned forward. "Retro clothes?" She gave a small squeal and gushed, "I love retro!"

"I don't like clothes," Teddy cut in.

"As long as you keep some of them on," his father said, looking over the top of his paper with a warning glare.

In return the young boy crossed his arms and sunk down in his chair, causing Sharpay to giggle and the adorable scene he made, tinfoil hat slipping down his forehead to cover his eyes.

They finished breakfast soon enough and Troy knew it would soon be time to go to school. He had no doubt his parents would enforce his attendance, no matter what had happened the previous day. But Troy wondered what would happen when he had to leave in a half hour, and if Sharpay would find herself with no where left to go.

Troy's mother led both Troy and Sharpay up to the attic once they'd finished breakfast and the other males had been left to the dishes.

"Sharpay helped," his mother had said sweetly to his father and Troy had looked over to Sharpay with an impressed look. She certainly didn't seem the type of girl to enjoy cooking, and even if she had only helped set the table or mix the batter, Troy was pleased.

"I never get to have dinner with Ryan and daddy," Sharpay told Troy in a low voice. The teens lurked at the bottom of the attic latter while his mother rooted around for the desired box. "Sometimes Ryan and I do, but daddy never joins us. It must be nice to have your whole family around."

Troy ran a hand across the back of his head. "Well, my mom really likes cooking, and we all really like eating whatever she cooks, so it's usually worth it to get up early."

"It's just nice. Don't ever take it for granted." 

He reached out almost shyly and took her hand in his. "What was nice," he amended, "was having you there, too. I want you there every morning."

She blushed and leaned in closer to him, their shoulders touching. They hadn't talked about his admission of love but it was clear they were both aware of it and it had only brought them closer together.

"That's be nice," she said, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

"I found it!" his mother called down and they jumped apart a bit. Lugging down the box his mother said, "I'm not quite sure what's in this box, but you're welcomed to anything you want."

With joy Sharpay knelt down and began sifting through the box, pulling out several pieces of clothes. "I love it all," she said eagerly. "It's all so fabulous."

Eventually she settled on a brown skirt and multicolored shirt.

"The bathroom is that way," his mother said, pointing to the door at the end of the hall. "Go put it on and we'll see how right I was about your size."

"I've got your shoes," Troy said, remembering seeing them tucked at the foot of his bed. He assumed Gabriella had put them out of the way there.

"Don't forget Chad will be here in twenty minutes," his mother reminded him with a knowing look.

He hung his head. "Yeah. I figured."

Troy had bent down to pick up the shoes in his room when the doorbell to their house rang. His phone hadn't vibrated so it couldn't have been Chad, and they weren't expecting any company.

He held the shoes down at his side and headed towards the door his father was already opening. When he saw Henry and Harrison standing there looking more menacing than ever he lost his breath and slammed back against the hallway wall. He froze, afraid to move any forward and let them see him. He was still hidden from view so close to his room, and he was sure if they got one look at his face they'd know Sharpay was there.

Please, he begged silently his mind, please let his parents say nothing about Sharpay. Even more, he hoped Sharpay didn't emerge from the bathroom. The door was angled just that she'd be in plain view. He'd lose her for sure if they knew where she was, especially with him.

He couldn't hear what his father was saying, but the conversation quickly turned sour if his father's body language meant anything.

Then suddenly he could hear his father nearly shouting, "I've told you, I don't know anything about a Sharpay Evans, she isn't here, you're not badgering my son for information and you've got three seconds to leave my property before I call the police."

"The Police Captain just happens to be my brother," his mother cut in. Troy winced a bit. His mother was right dangerous when she got mad, and if she'd brought Troy's uncle into the picture he was sure Henry and Harrison were in for a major earache. "And I doubt he'll be happy to have to come down and find his sister is being harassed." She had the phone her hand, fingers poised to dial.

At the noise the bathroom door swung open.

Troy acted at once, and just as Sharpay opened her mouth to ask about the yelling Troy sprung forward. He launched himself across the hallway, pressing his hand over her mouth and dragging her back into the bathroom.

He was breathing hard and she was barely breathing as they pressed together, Sharpay against the bathroom wall and Troy against her. His eyes pleaded with her not to struggle or attempt to say anything, and he was sure he could if he tried. And the seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, with him unable to hear anything through the rush in his ear, almost completely lost in the feel of her body against his.

"Troy? What's going on?"

Troy turned his head to see his brother gazing at him with wide, scared eyes.

"Are they gone?" Troy whispered, barely finding the breath to do so.

Teddy turned towards the door and then relayed back to Troy, "Yeah. Mom and Dad were really angry. Why?"

Troy relinquished his grip on Sharpay and stood back, feeling her fingers curl around his nearest wrist for support.

"Don't worry about it, kid."

Troy stuck his head just slightly out the bathroom door and confirmed his brother's words. "Coast's clear," Troy said, dragging himself and Sharpay out of the bathroom. By the look on her face she clearly knew who had been at the door.

"Mom? Dad?" Troy entered the kitchen where his parents were consuming coffee at alarming rates. He noted the blinds were closed.

"Troy, Sharpay," his mother said, gesturing to the chairs at the table. "Teddy, go get ready for school."

"I am ready," the eight year old protested, but caught the look from his mother and father and fled the room.

"Thank you," Sharpay said quietly, tightening her grip on Troy.

"Who were they?" his father asked.

"They're my bodyguards," Sharpay said.

His father clutched a hand to his chest and let out a breath of air. Clearly he'd thought they were men with far more devious plans than to simply take Sharpay home.

"They barely let her breathe," Troy voice up at the look in his mother's eyes. "They're who I saw when I first met Sharpay. I thought they were kidnapping her because they were forcefully shoving her into the car. They may be around to protect her life, but they're--there's just something not right."

"They're gone for now," his mother said, "but I'm sure they didn't completely buy the idea that Sharpay wasn't here. They'll be back, or watching the house, I'm sure."

Sharpay looked up at Troy's parents. "Thank you for not letting them take me back. I don't want to go."

"You don't have to," Troy vowed, catching her gaze. "I won't let them."

"You'll have to eventually," his father said.

Sharpay nodded. "I know. It's just--I'm not my own person at home. I don't get to like what I want or do what I want. I'm a prisoner in my own home. It's hard. And I see your family and it's so wonderful. I know I'll have to go back home," she said seriously, "but I just want a break. I want to be able to breathe."

"Technically this is kidnapping," his father volunteered, running a hand over his stressed features.

"Daddy wouldn't dare report me missing," Sharpay said. "You don't have anything to worry about. I'll be out of your hair soon enough anyway."

"I'm going to go check on Teddy," Troy father said, prying the phone out of his wife's hands. "Put off calling your brother for the moment."

His mother left with his father to check on his younger brother leaving Sharpay and Troy alone in the room.

"You really love me?" she asked him, point blank. "Because I have to be honest, that's a little scary. I know daddy and Ryan do, but they've never told me to my face. We don't express emotion that well. And we're both so young. I know I care about you, but I don't know if it's love."

Troy curled his fingers up to catch hers, pulling her grip into his lap. He scooted his chair a bit closer and told her, "My mom used to tell me when I was little that I'd meet someone one day who made me question everything I believed in. He or She would change who I am as a person for the better, and I'd be willing to give myself wholly to them. I'd know that person was the one, and not to let that person go for anything. You do that to me, Sharpay, and I know you're the one for me."

"Your family is completely freaked out," she said, "and they haven't even come close to having any contact with the people who want to hurt me and my family. How can I expose you to that? Ryan's right when he calls me selfish, but not this time. I won't do it."

Troy warned, "You push me away and I'll come right back. Sharpay, when you find the one you're meant to spend the rest of your life with you don't give them up without a fight--without giving your last breath. I don't care about anything else. We'll figure it out. All I know is that if I have to give you up then you're asking me to give up my heart."

"So what are we going to do?"

Troy shrugged at her. "Talk to your father? Keep you hidden here? Run off to Vegas and get hitched?"

She hit him playfully on the shoulder at the suggestion.

"You are something," she said to him coyly. "I've never met anyone like you in my life. You see something you want and you go after it. You're more caring than anyone else. You try and do the right thing. You're your own person. You know exactly who you are right now and what you want without a doubt, and I'm not sure if I will in ten years. Troy Bolton, you're amazing. You might actually be my one, too."

"I'd like that." He pressed her forehead against his.

"They're going to try and tear us apart," Sharpay reminded.

"My parents will back us."

Sharpay shook her head. "Maybe right now, but not when things get really hard. You're their child. They'll want what's best for you and maybe I'm not. I'm dangerous and no parent wants their child exposed to that."

"Give my parents some credit," Troy said. "They're parents, granted, but they're pretty cool. I gotta believe they'll be our strength when we don't have anymore."

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "I hope," she said honestly, "because my father isn't going to go for this for one second, and he'd not above moving us in a moment's notice to avoid our relationship."

"No," he nearly hissed. "No way. You better believe that's never going to happen, Sharpay, believe it. Sorry, but you're stuck with me forever now." Then he kissed her softly but passionately, hand coming up to gently cradle the side of her face.

"I think I'm okay with that," she said breathlessly when he pulled back.


	9. Chapter 9

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy sulks, Ryan appears and Sharpay bakes--poorly.

Notes: This chapter was hell on earth. It wouldn't come to me no matter how hard I tried. I managed to plan out the rest of this fic … and the sequel, but this stupid chapter evaded me. I also blame school, because college is ridiculously hard with a full unit load and work.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Nine:

Despite the drama that had befallen Troy and Sharpay in the morning, by the time Chad arrived to pick him up his mother gave him quite a stern look that told him he was still expected to go to school that day.

He hesitated at the door, backpack slung over one shoulder and looked back at his parents and Sharpay. He was sure they could see the look of fear gracing his features, and he felt himself tremble a bit. He didn't need to tell them that he was frightened to death he'd get home from school and Sharpay wouldn't be there anymore. He didn't know if anyone was going to try and come for her again at their house, and he didn't know if his parents would allow her to stay or take her right home the moment he was gone. And he knew for certain if he lost her at the moment, he'd never get her back. Tensions were too high and there were too many people wanting too many things of the both of them at the same time. It would be far to easy for them to be separated and never see each other again.

"Chad's waiting," his father reminded, fitting a tie around his neck. Indeed the car in the street beeped at him again, his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Sharpay looked at Troy with decidedly a mixture of fear and resignation. He could tell she expected to be shipped back home the moment he was gone.

"I'll be fine," she told him a bit indignantly. "Really, Troy, go to school. I'll see you around some time." She was lying, he knew right away. She was also trying to comfort him, and while endearing, it was wasted.

"Go," his mother said, packing his younger brother's lunch into his backpack.

"See you," he said distantly, reaching for the handle.

"Sure," she replied, and his heart almost broke.

He went through the school day in a daze. Chad gave up on asking him his troubles fairly early in the morning, and despite the incident with Sharpay, Gabriella clung to him desperately, suffocating him almost. He lost her several times during the day, trying not to make it seem like he was purposely avoiding her, but his heart simply wasn't in the day. He didn't want to speak with her, even to break up with her, or anyone else for that matter, sans Sharpay.

"I'm going to walk home," Troy told Chad at the end of the day, hands fisted in his pockets. "I need the air."

Chad nodded to him slowly. "Pick you up tomorrow?"

Troy nodded back to him and headed off down the street, barely aware of the teenagers racing past him and his wandering.

Halfway home he sighed deeply to himself. He was acting like a character out of his mother's romance novels and he was fed up. He couldn't deny his feelings for Sharpay or how deep they went, but he was tired of feeling like his heart was going to break and that he was going to cry at a moment's notice. He'd always been somewhat more emotional than his male friends, and far more passionate about things he cared about, but never to such a degree before.

And being overly emotional wouldn't help Sharpay. They were just two people who wanted to be together, but never realistically could be. They were being pulled away by too many forces and Troy was getting tired. He wanted someone to be on his side with Sharpay, and yet he couldn't help feeling that if he tried to look for that support system he'd come up empty, as his friends would surely side with Gabriella and his parents were obviously less than set on the idea of them simply being friends.

So it was over. He had known it was over before it began. He was resolved to believe he'd lost the first true love of his life. He didn't need to dwell on the issue any longer.

When he neared his house a half hour later he noted both of his parents were gone, the driveway empty. His father obviously had obligations to the high school, so Troy hadn't thought twice about him, but he had held out the tiniest bit of hope with his mother. She had a far more flexible work schedule and part of him, for just a mere moments, had thought maybe she'd stayed home with Sharpay to ensure her safety. But it had never been anything more than a fool's hope, and it clearly made Troy a fool.

He'd only just gotten in the doorway and slid off his shoes and coat when Sharpay's blonde head peeked out around the corner, a brilliant smile on her face. "Hey, Troy, what's up?"

He gaped at her. He lost his grip on his backpack and simply gaped at her.

"Troy?"

She had a white powder on her nose, and her cheeks, her hair done up in a messy bun. She wore his mother's baking apron and had streaks of dark brown on it, marred with the white. And then he smelled the air--the burnt air.

"Your mother said I could," she spouted off defensively, heading back into the kitchen. He followed her.

"What are you doing?" He gazed around the kitchen, littered with baking pans and globs of black mess. "What are you doing to my mother's kitchen?" he amended.

She looked up at him from where she was bent over the oven. "I couldn't very well leave the house, could I? And no offense, Troy, but there isn't much to do in your room, or at least that I'm interested in, so your mother lent me her cookbook." Sharpay gestured over to the book laying on top of the kitchen countertop.

"My mother left you alone?" he deadpanned, "with a cookbook and said it was fine to burn the house down?"

Sharpay glared hard at him. "I bake perfectly fine!"

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the badly burnt chocolate chip cookies (or at least he thought they were chocolate chip cookies and was simply too afraid to ask her, especially with the way she was holding the spatula).

"Trial runs," she justified, "your oven is different from mine. And maybe, just maybe I told your mother that I knew how to bake."

He was pretty sure she'd probably never baked a day in her life.

The oven behind them began to beep and Sharpay squeaked a bit, turning on heel with an oven mitt to retrieve her newest batch of cookies.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you here," he said slowly, trying not to visibly cringe at the dark color of the burnt cookies.

"But why?" she asked, setting the tray down on the countertop. There was a slight look of disappointment on her fact that Troy barely recognized.

"Yeah."

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know, Troy, but I guess I didn't give your parents enough credit. I mean most people wouldn't let a total stranger stay in their house while they were away, let alone one like me and all my baggage." She held a cookie out to him on a plate. "Try it," she demanded.

He reached awkwardly for the cookie. "Sweets kinda aren't my thing, Shar." She shot him a murderous gaze and he bit down into the cookie, choking it down as best he could.

"I told you my parents were cool," Troy said with a hint of pride in his tone, after downing a full glass of milk in an attempt to wash out the burnt taste in his mouth.

Her hands fell to her sides. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she admitted softly.

"Rough feeling?" he asked, compelled by how depressed a few miscalculations could make her. She clearly was the kind of girl who liked to be the best at anything she tried, and strove for perfection in things she expected to come to her. And even as she attempted to hide it, he could see the hurt in her eyes, being so unable to follow a simple recipe from a book.

He came up behind her, arms sliding along the sides of her narrow waist until he had them turned towards the counter and the mixing bowl. "If you were making them from a box it would be a whole different story," he said in an effort to appease her. "But baking from scratch is an art form, Shar, and you don't produce a masterpiece overnight."

He leaned forward, pressing his chest into her back and began to guide her through the steps of mixing new batch. "You have to get just the right amount of air in the batter," he said soothingly, "and you have to go by feel."

Her hands moved the mixing spoon carefully with Troy's over them, helping her scrape the free sugar into the creamy mixture.

"You like to bake?" she asked Troy absentmindedly. She was only half aware of her situation, relishing in the feeling of Troy's strong body pressed against hers and his warm hands guiding her own.

"More like I just know how to," Troy murmured near her ear. "When Teddy was little he got sick a lot, and my mom and I spent a lot of time taking care of him, and baking to pass the time. Sometimes when I bake it reminds me of how sick Teddy was."

Sharpay stilled at his words, turning slightly in his half embrace with a look of concern. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Troy smiled at her. "Hey, no problem. He's fine now, the healthiest, creepiest kid out there. And baking with you doesn't remind me of that."

She tipped her head up just slightly and caught his lips with her own, falling almost completely against him. It wasn't more than chaste, but it sent a thrill through her body.

"You've been making them the wrong size," Troy finally said, "and the oven isn't at the right temperature."

Together they portioned out the cookies, Troy feeding Sharpay a quick bite of the delicious batter with his finger, and then set the tray in the over to bake.

"A lot of little things can trip you up when you're making them from scratch," he cautioned. "But these should turn out just fine. My dad will be home in a few hours and he loves cookies, and my mom will be home with Teddy even sooner, and I'm sure she'll appreciated the kid's snack already made."

Sharpay leaned back against the counter top, wiping her fingers on the apron she wore.

"But for right now," Troy interjected, bracing his arms on either side of her and trapping her between the counter and his own body, "for right now it's just the two of us." And this time he initiated the kiss, taking control and guiding her at the pace he wanted to go. A hand came up to tangle in her locks and he couldn't help but think he had found perfection.

There was a thunderous knock at the door that broke Troy away from Sharpay. His eyes roamed her flushed face, truly satisfied at how swollen and pink her lips were, and the glazed look in her eyes. Troy liked to think he was a fairly good kisser, despite Gabriella always somewhat shying away from intimate contact. They'd kissed a good number of times, and she'd even let his hand roam under his shirt once or twice, but she'd never seemed completely impressed with him before, not like Sharpay looked--though Troy wasn't quite sure if Sharpay's look had anything to do with his skills, or the fact that she probably hadn't been kissed by a male other than her father and brother in who knew how many years.

"You're a really good kisser," she said almost breathlessly.

"So are you," he said, pecking her on the lips as the knock sounded again.

"Who do you think it is?" Sharpay asked, fingers threading through Troy's.

"I dunno. Go wait in Teddy's room, okay? He's got the pull down ladder to the attic in his bedroom closet, and if push comes to shove and someone tries to get into the house, you'd be safe there." She looked reluctant to leave him until he pressed, "It'll be fine, Shar. Just go hide for a minute."

He made sure she was safely hidden away in his brother's room before opening the door a crack and peeking out into the bright daylight.

"I came alone and no one is following me but I don't know how long that's going to last so hurry up and let me in, Troy," Ryan hissed to him lowly, looking anxiously over his shoulder and down the street.

Troy paused, questioning the authenticity of the male in front of him. For all he knew, despite Ryan's apparent love for his sister, he could be just waiting to drag her back and out of Troy's life forever.

"I know she's there," Ryan rushed, "I know you're hiding her and nothing you say will change my mind. Now let me in. I need to talk to the both of you and I'd like to do it before the whole cavalry comes."

Troy nodded sharply and opened the door wider, allowing Ryan to slip in.

"Alone?" Troy asked quietly.

Ryan nodded. "Everyone is kind of out looking for Sharpay. Inevitably when things go wrong with her my father tends to forget about me."

Troy eyed him, surprised there was no hint of jealous or spite in his words. If anything Ryan seemed to carry relief in his voice.

"But it won't last for long," Ryan continued, "eventually someone will catch on and come looking for me, and when they can't find me, all real hell is going to break loose." Ryan sighed and crossed his arms.

"You said you wanted to talk? About what?"

"Who," Ryan corrected.

"Who?" Troy asked confused.

"Ryan?" Sharpay asked, slipping out of Troy's younger brother's bedroom and walking towards them.

"Her," Ryan said simply to Troy, stepping around the teenager to catch his sister in a hug. "I missed you, Sis,"

Sharpay clung to her brother desperately, pressing her face into his neck, their fight before completely forgiven.

"You doing okay?" he asked her, pulling Sharpay back slightly to get a good look at her.

Sharpay nodded. "Troy been an excellent host."

Ryan looked over at the blushing teen. "You're taking care of my sister?" he asked, voice serious. "How so?"

Ryan was less than intimidating to Troy, in nearly every aspect, but there was something innately frightening about brothers when their sisters were in question, or simply siblings in general. Troy imagined he'd be quite protective over Teddy whenever the kid started dating.

"Ryan," Sharpay warned. She cleared her throat and then said, "I hope you came to apologize."

"Not for saying what I did," Ryan protested sharply. He looked between his sister and Troy. "Because you guys are playing with fire and you're not just going to get burned, you're going to torch everyone and everything around you. I'm not cool with that, and I'm going to let you know."

Sharpay hugged her arms around herself, stepping closer to Troy who threw a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I am," Ryan amended, "sorry for the way I said it. I was a jerk, okay, and neither one of you deserved it."

"I forgive you," Sharpay told him, and Troy gave a sharp nod in agreement. "How'd you know I was here?"

Ryan bit his lip before admitting, "Because whether I wanted to realize it or not, your feelings for Troy are genuine. I should have known right from the beginning when you let him call you Shar. You only ever let mom call you that. So I figured you were going to run to the one person you loved or at least were growing to love as much as our family. And I figured Troy was going to hide you, because not to be overdramatic, but he really loves you. Yeah, Troy, you look at my sister like you want to marry her, and you can't fake that kind of look."

Troy's arm around Sharpay tightened as he gazed at Ryan. "Your sister is fully capable of looking after herself," he said evenly, feeling Sharpay's prying eyes on him. "But I promise you I'll take care of her, too."

"So you're going to stick it out?" Ryan asked.

Troy nodded. "No matter what. I'm here from now until the end, whatever that is and whenever it comes."

"If that's the case," Ryan said softly, "then there's only one thing left to do."

Next to Troy Sharpay winced. "Talk to daddy," she supplied.

"We already established he doesn't really like me," Troy stuttered. "Or at least the idea of me dating Sharpay. I doubt if I go into his territory, that I'm ever going to get out. I'll end up buried under the floorboards or something."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Don't be so over dramatic. That's Sharpay's job."

Sharpay rolled his eyes.

"Really," Ryan pushed. "The only way our father is going to let you date Sharpay, or even see her is if you show enough guts to talk to him face to face. He's a man who'll regard you as an equal if you don't run away with your tail between your legs. Stand up to him and you may actually get to take Sharpay out to a movie."

Suddenly Troy pictured his first date with Sharpay at the movies, buying her popcorn and escorting her to the right theatre. They'd sit in the middle, he'd hold her hands and the place would be empty, save for Henry and Harrison of course, sitting right behind them ready to pistol whip him if he made any sudden moves or his hand strayed too much.

"Our father might seem like an evil tyrant when it comes to letting Sharpay and I out into the real world, but you'd be surprised how much leniency he can give when he knows either of us are out with someone he trusts. Gain that trust, Troy, and you might get to marry my sister one day."

Sharpay blushed deeply, pulling away from Troy, who turned red as well and crossed his arms. He was pretty sure he did want to marry Sharpay one day, but not anytime soon. They were only in high school to begin with.

"So," Troy said with a cough, "talk to your dad?"

Ryan nodded, then paused and sniffed the air. "Are you two baking?" he asked, noticing the smudges of sugar and flour on his sister's cheeks and Troy's forehead.

"Cookies," Sharpay supplied.

Ryan blinked at his sister and then turned to Troy. "You must be a freaking messiah if you can get Sharpay to make anything in the kitchen without burning down the house. You apparently have the magic touch, Bolton." He ignored the roll of his sister's eyes.

Troy smiled faintly, rubbing a hand across the back of the head. "What can I say?"

It was of course at that moment that Troy's mother and brother returned home and were greeted with yet another Evans sibling, a destroyed kitchen and perfect cookies beginning to burn in the oven.


	10. Chapter 10

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy speaks with Sharpay's father on the topic of his dating her.

Notes: So college is killing me, as I thought it would, so expect updates to come once a week, as I only have time to write the chapters on Sunday and edit them by Monday. Also, those nude photos of Vanessa Hudgens? That's just trashy.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter 10:

Standing outside the door that Troy knew would inevitably lead to his gory, horrific and ultimate death, he let Sharpay fuss with his collar and his hair. She remarked loudly about the fringe that fell into his eyes, resolved to get it cut at the first chance available, all the while remarking lowly how incredibly appealing it was to her on some level they weren't ever to speak of in the company of others. And there were other tidbits of information that he picked up on, but most he concentrated on breathing and blocking everything else out, trying to enjoy his last moments of life. Next to him Ryan stood with crossed arms and a irritated smile.

The three of them had found themselves standing awkwardly outside the room that Mr. Evans currently resided in by way of Troy's parents. When he'd told them he was most certainly taking Sharpay back home in person where he intended to inform her father that he planned to date her (or rather beg and plead for the chance without it sounding like begging or pleading), his parents had laid down an ultimatum of their own. One Troy knew was better just to take if ever he wanted to not be grounded from the daylight.

Troy's parents had absolutely insisted upon driving the trio personally to the Evans' residence and speaking with Sharpay and Ryan's father. The demand had of course led to several tense moments and fifteen minutes of serious pouting by Teddy who absolutely refused to not be included and therefore find himself relegated to his aunt and uncle's smelly and scary house down the street. He'd lost in the end, as children tend to do with their parents, and had caused a delay such that Troy had time to think about the fine mess he was about to get himself into.

A positive had come when they'd all attempted to pile into the family car. The three teenagers had nearly climbed onto each other to fit into the somewhat compact back seat. Troy found himself stuck in the horrible middle seat with Ryan pushing hard and painfully against his side. However, he'd also gotten to press up against Sharpay--nearly have her in his lap. It was pleasant, despite the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Currently Troy's parents were speaking with Sharpay's father, a thought that did not comfort Troy. He imagined they were discussing the best way to keep him away from Sharpay, or at the very least they were considering the best possible way to limit contact He had no doubt that his parents liked Sharpay, after all, they'd let her stay home by herself and kept her away from Henry and Harrison when they'd come calling. But his parents were also sensible people who naturally didn't want to expose their family to any unnecessary danger. Troy feared the parental instinct to protect would win out.

"Are you listen to me?" Sharpay asked, hands falling from his collar. She looked at him with demanding eyes. "Stop freaking out, okay?"

He thought it was scary how well she could read him, or maybe the fear was utterly evident on his face--he didn't know which for sure.

"You said we're sticking together, right? No matter what your parents or daddy says, we're in this together until the end, right? So stop imagining one horrific scenario after another. You told me it would be okay. You told me not to panic, and I trust you, so I'm not. Are you going back on your word?"

He shook his heads emphatically.

"Good," she remarked. "Now please tell me your hair isn't always like this."

He laughed a bit then, his own hand coming up to brush her bangs away from her forehead. "Afraid so, Shar. Shaggy is the look."

"Haircut," she mumbled.

"Just remember," Ryan said to Troy, "our father highly values respect, integrity, courage and self-esteem. You show these things to him and he won't cement your feet and throw you in the nearest river."

Sharpay reached over and smacked her brother in the arm when Troy blanched. "Not helping," she seethed.

"I'm just kidding, Sharpay. Troy, it'll be fine. Our father is a pretty intimidating guy, and don't think for a minute he won't try to push you around, but he's also a fair guy. You guys are more alike than you'd know." He cut his eyes to Sharpay. "Maybe that's why my sister likes you so much."

Sharpay hit him again, shrieking, "That's just gross, Ryan. Why are you always so mean?"

"You're just an easy mark, Sharpay. And living with you for sixteen years has given me a lot of material to work with."

"Well you can forget about me helping you color coordinate your closet, and lord knows you aren't capable of doing a halfway decent job on your own, so good luck."

"This coming from the girl who wore purple cords with a sparkly neon pink shirt?"

"In third grade!"

Watching the siblings fight Troy felt his spirits lift. The two really were something else. He liked how they seemed to fuss at each other endlessly, teasing and making comments that often seemed disrespectful, but in truth they loved each other as much as siblings were possibly capable of and the love was abundant and obvious. They'd lay down their lives for each other in a second, offer up their last morsel of food and gladly take a backseat to the other's happiness. It reminded Troy of what he had with his own little brother, or at least what he hoped to have in a few years when Teddy was just a bit older. Though Troy somehow doubted they'd be arguing over fashion. Maybe something like basketball positions or dating techniques.

The doors to the room opened and Troy looked up from the siblings to his parents who were gazing at him with an uninterruptible look.

"We'll wait for you at the car," his mother said, holding her purse close to her body like a lifeline.

"And we'll talk on the way home."

Troy, as any other kid, knew talks were never good. His spirits fell again, as low as ever.

"You'll be fine," Sharpay told him again, squeezing his hand. "We're all in this together," she reminded, then gave him a short shove into the room.

Ryan abruptly closed the doors and turned to his sister with a serious look. "He's so dead," Ryan deadpanned.

Sharpay said nothing.

Inside the room Troy found himself standing in front of Mr. Evan's desk, the room blissfully free of Henry and Harrison, or any other bodyguards he'd yet to see. Troy wasn't sure if it was because he'd earned a tiny bit of trust, or if the older man simply didn't see him as a threat. He hoped for the first, but had a sinking feeling it was the second.

"You intend to date my daughter?" he asked almost confrontationally. "The last time you were in my office you announced you had no such intentions."

Troy bit his lip a bit and then said, "I didn't at the time, sir. I really liked Sharpay, from the moment I saw her even, but at that time I didn't know her all that well. I just wanted to get to know what kind of person she was, not date her. But that's changed now, and that's why I'm here."

"You've known my daughter less than a week," the man told Troy, "you really think you know her? Her birthday? Favorite color? First pet? Mother's name? Anything?"

Troy shook his head. "No, sir. I don't know any of those things."

"Then how can you claim to know her well enough to even think about dating her? You dare to presume to come here with so little information."

"I may not know those things," Troy said, swallowing hard, "but I don't think those things are important. What I do know is Sharpay's heart. I know what good of a person she is--that she'd risk her whole life for one shot at her dream. She's got passion that comes from a drive to make something of herself, even if it has been suppressed for a good part of her life. And those are just a few of the good things I know when I look at her. I also know she's moody. She likes to have her way and she's somewhat of a perfectionist. She's stubborn, almost to a fault, and she'll put someone in their place even if it isn't her right to do it, but those flaws make her human to me. Those things are what attract me to her. There won't ever be another girl like Sharpay as long as there are people, and I am just thankful she's even giving me a second look."

Sharpay father rested his elbows on his desk and laced his fingers together. "Your girlfriend?"

Troy shook his head. "I'm done with Gabriella." So technically he hadn't broken up with her--still, but he was getting to it. He'd do it the very next time he got the chance, but Sharpay's father didn't need to know that.

"My daughter is danger," Mr. Evans remarked. "The whole family is. I'm sure Ryan told you this, because he's always been far more sensible than Sharpay. Are you so willing to expose yourself and your family to that danger?"

"I told myself that I wouldn't, and for a while I vowed to stay away from Sharpay, but I can't. It hurts too much. So I'll do everything in my power to keep my family safe, and Sharpay safe, and if it's not enough I'll figure something out, but no one ever said life was easy, and love sure isn't. I figure if you don't have to fight for love at one point or another than it really isn't worth having. You have to be tested, and you have to meet and overcome certain obstacles for that love to mean anything. I am prepared to do that for Sharpay. I'd do anything."

"Love?" the older man scoffed. "You're far too young to know what love is."

"That's why my parents said," Troy said with a bit of a laugh. "I think it's pretty annoying how many adults think that just because I'm young I can't know what love is. I know it's unconditional. I know that you sacrifice anything to keep it, and keep the person you love safe. You compromise sometimes on things you don't want to, and refused to on other matters. You fight, you make up and you endure. That's what love is. It's a rocky road that isn't safe and often seems too hard. I'm not trying to fantasize here that I'll always get along with Sharpay and that our path will be smooth and straight, and in fact I don't want it to be, but I'm willing to walk it. That's the kind of love I have for her, and it isn't going away no matter what anyone says."

Evans pinned him with a narrowed glare. "You're fifteen."

"For another month," Troy confirmed. "And Sharpay is sixteen. We're both teenagers, but we'll be young adults soon. I'll be out of high school soon, and Sharpay will complete her academic requirements even sooner, then the both of us will be in the real world. You want to protect her, I know, so do I, but she can't be kept hidden forever. The real world is out there and it's going to suck us in eventually."

"You say you want to protect her? How?"

"I won't keep her locked up, that's for sure," Troy said defiantly. "She's getting set up to be hurt badly. She doesn't know how to function in the real world for the most part. Right now she has people buying her own clothes, cooking her meals, washing and folding her clothes and deciding where she is for nearly every moment of the day. She doesn't know how to interact with people her own age, or write a check, or even ride the bus. I'd protect her by exposing her to all these things, but being there to catch her if she falls. Protecting someone is making sure they're ready for whatever comes their way, or being the support system if they're not. Her life is dangerous, I get that, trust me, but she's not being protected. She's being hurt. You're hurting her." 

"How dare you!" the man slammed his hands down on his desk.

"I do!" Troy nearly shouted back, despite having jumped at the previous action. "I do," he said a bit more quietly. "Because I love Shar. I want what's best for her. Maybe I'm just a silly little boy, and maybe this means nothing to you, sir, but I love her."

"You are a silly, stupid little boy. Your mouth flies away with you and you speak about what you're going to do, or intend to do, but you know nothing. I was young and idealistic like you. I said the same about my wife that you say about Sharpay and I lost her. I refuse to lose Sharpay as well. My children are my life and I have been keeping them safe for longer than you will ever know. I refuse to allow you to come into my family, steal my children away and expose them to countless dangers."

Troy gave him a sad look. "Just because I love Sharpay, doesn't mean I'm stealing her way. She'll always be your daughter. She'll always love you, and have loved you long before me. I don't want to take her from you, but I truly believe Sharpay's heart is more than large enough to accommodate the both of us. You don't lose a daughter when she falls in love, you gain a whole new family instead. Sharpay will never leave you, and you know that, because after all, you have been protecting and loving her for far longer than I know."

Troy moved forward, as close at the desk would allow. He smiled faintly and then said, "And didn't you love your wife more than the world? Wouldn't you have done anything for her? Done anything she asked? She was your light and your hope, right? That's what Sharpay is to me. Your wife, Sharpay's mother died, but that time you had together was the best of your life, wasn't it?" 

Angry eyes glared up at him. "She still died, boy, and the same will happen to Sharpay if I don't put a stop to this right away."

"Sharpay is not her mother. I don't know anything about your wife, sir, but Sharpay is resourceful. She knows the danger, she's strong and she'll survive. And I believe she'll stand a better chance of doing so with more people looking out for her."

"The more people who know about her and Ryan and myself, the more danger grows."

"The right people, then," Troy amended. "And no matter what happens today, the right people will be looking out for her. Sharpay will always have someone watching her back, ready to pull her out of the fire at a moment's notice."

Troy sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm not perfect. I make mistakes, and I know that making mistakes could get Sharpay killed. I don't know the situation, no one will tell me, and that makes it even harder not to make those mistakes, but if you would help me out here I think I'd stand a much better chance of surviving those mistakes."

"She's my daughter," Mr. Evans said finally. "My little girl. She's the only remnant of my wife I have left. I see my late wife in Ryan's eyes, but Sharpay is, and always has been something of a replica of her. They're so much alike I can't lose her twice."

"Sharpay is her own person. I will do my best not to let history repeat itself. I couldn't lose Sharpay either." 

There was silence in the room, Troy staring at the older man and in turn the man's serious eyes gazing back. Neither moved a muscle, aside to breathe, and Troy was sure he was even holding his breath once in a while. It was the time of judgment, he realized. Sharpay's father was deciding at that very moment. Either Troy and Sharpay would be allowed to walk a road with a few bumps, or they'd be forced to run one considerably more treacherous.

"You go out only under the direct supervision of Henry and Harrison. You do not go to public places without my expressed consent and prior examination. She visits your house no more than twice a week and not after dark. Your hands stay to yourself, Ryan goes along with you at any time of my choosing, especially in the beginning, and you say nothing to others about Sharpay other than when necessary. These are my conditions, and if you break even one at any time you can consider your courtship of my daughter over."

Troy stared.

"Are you suddenly mute, boy?"

"Ah, no, sir," Troy mumbled numbly. "You're giving me permission to date your daughter."

"On a probationary term for the time being. Call tomorrow night and we'll speak about acceptable places for you to take her. Well lit, acceptable places where I will have eyes watching."

Troy nodded quickly. "Yes, sir, thank you, sir." He made for the door.

"Be thankful, boy," Mr. Evans said just before Troy opened the door, "that Sharpay cares for you as much as she does, and that your parents have sense enough to vouch for you."

He found himself standing outside the room and in the hallway moments later, Sharpay and Ryan gazing at him with nervous expressions.

"He looks like he's in one piece," Ryan remarked.

"Shut up, Ryan," Sharpay said, moving to Troy's side and pressing cool hands against his cheeks. "You okay?"

At the feeling of her hands on his face he snapped out of his daze. With a roar of laughter he caught her around the waist, lifted her in one easy movement and spun her, holding her as close as he could. She laughed as well, tangling her hands in his soft hair.

"How'd you like to come to one of my basketball games?" he asked her, setting her back on her feet. "Then we could grab some dinner after."

"Like on a date?"

"Like on a date," he confirmed with a dazzling smile.

Sharpay gave a near squeal of delight and kissed Troy.

"And I'm pretty sure all we have to do is take Henry, Harrison and Ryan with us," Troy said when they broke apart.

"Ryan?" Sharpay asked annoyed with a raised eyebrow. Henry and Harrison she understood, but her own brother?

"Me?" Ryan demanded.

"Pretty sure," Troy remarked, arm around Sharpay's shoulder. Even the idea of having Ryan with them on their dates wasn't enough to bring him down.

"Why do I always get the short stick with you, Sharpay?" Ryan demanded with a pout.

"Because I'm older," she supplied, sticking her tongue out at him.

He gave an indignant shout of, "By three minutes!"


	11. Chapter 11

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy breaks up with Gabriella, but it doesn't go exactly the way he imagined it would.

Notes: So I nearly didn't get around to writing this chapter. I still love the fic, and I've already outlined the sequel, but I'm also writing a Resident Evil 4 fanfic purely for my own entertainment, and it is quite demanding. Yes, it is possible to love both HSM and RE4 at the same time. Odd, I know. Also, it was by birthday over the weekend and I scarcely remember fifteen minutes of it, and I feel less than stellar, so ignore any major grammatical mistake.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Eleven:

He'd always imagined dating Sharpay would involve countless rules, but he hadn't been quite prepared for what was in store. And his parents had always been strict before, very cautious over the world in which their boys were growing up in, but Troy had always had a bit of leeway, or rather at least his parents not breathing so completely down his neck.

In fact just having Sharpay over involved a whole series of annoyances that tested Troy's patience. It was no big secret that he was a teenager. He was nearly completely ruled by his hormones, and even at fifteen he'd gotten more than a little physical with Gabriella, as had some of the other teenagers at his school with each other as well. So there were urges, he admitted, and less than pure thoughts, especially with how incredibly appealing Sharpay was at almost all hours of the day. And while he wasn't ready at the moment, he expected their relationship would be physical as well as emotional in the future, and he thought his parents suspected that as well.

He and Sharpay talked mostly about his school and her likes and dislikes. They sprawled out on his bed, him holding her hand or her running her fingers through his hair. Their feet tangled together, socks a blur of white during a tickle fit. And just when they got comfortable enough, with Sharpay at his side and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, his mother or father, or sometimes both, would stroll conveniently by his door--which was required to remain open whenever mixed company was present. They'd allowed his door to be cracked when Gabriella was over, he remembered with annoyance.

They couldn't be home alone, either. There was no chance of it happening at Sharpay's place, but at his own it wasn't uncommon for Troy to find his entire family out and about at one point, except for recently. He felt as if his parents expected him to drag Sharpay off to bed the very minute they both left. And he wasn't even going to pretend he wasn't displeased by his little brother's sudden bout of stalking, which he was sure his parents had put him up to.

But most of the time he didn't mind the rules and watchful eyes. The first week all he and Sharpay did was lounge around the house. They made more cookies together, and even tried a cake together, though Sharpay had distracted him halfway through with a kiss or several and they'd agreed to start over on a different day. They also watched movies together, played against Teddy on his Playstation and while Troy helped his father continue work on Teddy's treehouse in the backyard, Sharpay wrangled his mother into picking out curtain patterns and carpeting, even as Teddy stated venomously he wasn't having anything slightly girly or ridiculous in his very manly clubhouse. Later on he settled on the blue and peach wallpaper, and Troy said nothing while Sharpay gave him a knowing look.

He'd been more than prepared to finally break things off with Gabriella when the decision had been taken out of his hands all at once. She'd come down with a nasty case of the flu and her mother, like always, was being frighteningly overprotective and not allowing anyone to see her for fear of it developing into pneumonia. Troy called several times during the week Gabriella was out, because she was his friend after all, but her mother reported her to be sleeping each time.

"I'm going to leave you," Sharpay warned, reaching her hand into the vat of popcorn Troy's mother had popped for them.

"I know," he said, tightening his arm around her shoulders as they lounged on the couch and watched some musical Sharpay had brought with her. "But she's sick, Shar. If I could even reach her when she was awake, and talk long enough for her not to fall asleep, it's not the kind of thing you break to a sick girl. I'm done with her, Sharpay, but she's my friend and I won't hurt her like that."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, snuggling down into his embrace.

Across the room Ryan crossed his arms and sulked in the armchair.

That had been another requirement, on both Roy's parents and Sharpay's father's part. At least in the beginning, Ryan was required to go almost everywhere Sharpay went, which the male teen more than hated.

"I'm not my sister's babysitter," Ryan told Troy in the beginning. "And she could kick my butt if she wanted to, let alone you, if you tried to make a move she didn't want."

Troy looked indignant. "Why does everyone think I'm going to jump Sharpay at the first chance?"

"As utterly gross as this discussion is to me," Ryan said with a sour look, "I guess it's because she's a pretty girl, you're a handsome guy and you're both teenagers. Our parents aren't stupid. I think they're pretty aware of what people our age these days are doing. Don't tell me you and your old girlfriend didn't go there."

"I'm fifteen," Troy squeaked, then at Ryan's glare he allowed slowly, "nothing serious, you know. Gabriella wasn't that kind of girl. I mean she wasn't comfortable. Just some kissing and some other stuff. Nothing serious at all. Not like some of my other friends. She wasn't ready so I tried not to push the subject."

"A virgin, Bolton?"

Troy laughed nervously.

"I expect my sister to stay one as well, while she's dating you," Ryan warned, and he had a murderous glint in his eyes that had Troy nodding quickly and walking away as fast as his feet could take him.

The two visit a week quota set by Sharpay's father was soon stretched to three and was on the verge of four by the time Gabriella was back in school.

"And how," Troy asked her, "are you swinging that?"

"I keep telling you," Sharpay said, pecking him on the cheek, "he's a big pussycat. You just have to dangle the right yarn in front of him."

Gabriella returned to school on Tuesday, and that day at lunch Troy dropped by his father's office and informed him he'd be late getting home. He was speaking to Gabriella after school that day.

"My mom said you called," Gabriella said to him after classes. They were sitting on the bleachers out by the baseball field, or rather Gabriella was sitting and Troy was standing with his fists shoved awkwardly into his pockets.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, since she wouldn't let me see you. Something about exposing you to my germs or whatnot."

She smiled. "That's my mom."

"So," Troy said. "Gabriella, we need to talk."

"About what?"

He nearly crumbled under her worried look.

"We're good friend, right? Above all else? I mean we were friend first, before anything else."

She nodded. "Of course you're my friend, Troy."

"And friends want what's best for each other." He looked down at his sneakers, unable to meet her look. "Like, for instance, if you were really happy with someone else, no matter what I'd want you to keep that happiness."

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked, arms folded. She wasn't accusing him, and there was a decidedly lack of anger in her tone, just pure curiosity and a bit of worry. "Another person?"

"Would you be happy for me?" Troy asked hoarsely.

"I don't understand." Gabriella said. "You can be friends with whoever you want. We're separate people, Troy. We don't have to have the same friends, or like the same things. If you've got a new friend I'd like to meet them, but I'm not going to give you an ultimatum of anything. Do they go to this school? Are they going to the dance?"

Troy paled. He'd forgotten about the dance. The dance he was supposed to be taking Gabriella to. The very dance she'd been looking forward to for the longest amount of time, had bought a dress especially for and certainly expected to go with a date who was her boyfriend.

Still he pushed on and said, "No, Gabby, I meant romantically. If you fell for anyone else, I'd let you go. I'd want you to be happy, and I wouldn't get in your way of that."

"I know I've been spending a lot of time around Jason," she said softly, "but he's my lab partner. You don't have to feel threatened."

"No," he nearly wailed, "it's me, Gabriella. I just--Gabriella--I need a break. I want to break up."

He knew he'd never forget the look of hurt and betrayal on her face for the rest of his life. Her wet eyes would haunt his dreams and he'd know forever that he'd been the one to break her heart.

"A break? Do you just want to take a break from us?"

He nodded tersely, knowing at once it was better not to have her think she'd been replaced, even if she essentially had been.

"With basketball practice and the games, and my family and school, I just need some me time. I don't want to be pulled in a million directions. I need space."

She blinked doe eyes at him.

"You're still my friend. I will always be here for you. I just can't be what you need in a boyfriend right now."

She stood slowly. "Right now?"

He nodded.

"I can give you space," she said quietly. "I know what it's like to need space. You only had to tell me. You look like you've been putting it off for a while, and I did think you'd been avoiding me. How about we take a break right now, and then try it again in a few months, or maybe next year?"

He wanted to tell her there was no chance of them ever getting back together. He was never letting go of Sharpay, and Gabriella was nothing but a friend to him, but he couldn't hurt her any further. He didn't want to be the one to give her false hope, but he couldn't pull what little footing she had left, out from under her. The fragile look on her face told him she needed something--anything.

"Sure."

She nodded and slung a backpack over her shoulder. "But we're still going to the dance together?"

He nodded and gave an honest smile. "I've been looking forward to going with you to the dance for a while, that is if you'll still have me."

She beamed. "Of course."

He walked her to her car and stood back on the curve and waved. When her car was out of sight his hands went back into his pockets and he started the long walk back home with his thoughts as his only company.

When he did get home, he shot hoops for a few hours before his brother got home from his after school playgroup at the local community center, and found himself wrangled into helping the kid make a papier-mâché volcano for school. They had to wait for their parents to get home from running errands before creating any kind of chemical reaction, but it was a nice and soothing activity that had Troy enjoying the company of his bratty brother.

After dinner Troy helped his mother wash the dishes, his father and brother having run off to catch the last innings of a baseball game on TV between their two favorite teams.

"You okay, honey?" she asked him, running a dish under the water before handing at him to dry. "You seem quiet tonight."

"I broke up with Gabriella today," he confessed. "And I kinda butchered the whole thing."

"How so?"

He looked up at his mother, amazed he'd retained such a close bond to her through his teenage years. She was still his closest friend and confidant. Chad was his best friend, no doubt, but his mother was the only person he knew wouldn't judge him no matter what. Most of his friends wanted nothing to do with their parents, avoiding them even, but Troy stuck close to his, knowing they'd be there for him come hell or high-water.

"I told her we were done, that I needed space. I just wanted to get it done and over with before I chickened out, but I guess she didn't get the picture. She wanted to know if we could try the relationship again in a few months, or next semester, and I freaked. I told her sure. I didn't want to hurt her anymore than necessary. She would have, I don't know, freaked out if I had told her about Sharpay. No one wants to hear they've been replaced."

His mother raised an eyebrow at him. "You wear your heart on your sleeve," she said kindly. "But honesty is the best policy. What do you think is going to happen when she sees you with Sharpay?"

Troy chuckled nervously. "I'm kinda hoping she won't?"

His mother gave him a look of disbelief.

Troy tried to justify, "Sharpay and I really only go to each other's houses. Sharpay's dad doesn't like her to go out that much, incase she gets seen by the wrong person and it isn't like she goes to our school anyway. I just figured they wouldn't ever really see each other. And then Gabriella is going to go off to Yale or Harvard or some other prestigious school in a few years and we won't see each other anymore."

"That's a bit unrealistic," his mother pointed out, "and more than a little unfair." Troy hung his head knowingly. "And didn't you invite Sharpay to a basketball game next week? Gabriella is sure to be there."

Troy blanched, having forgotten.

"The longer you let Gabriella think she still has a chance with you, the more hurt she's going to feel when she finds out the opposite."

Troy nodded. "I know. You're right, mom."

The gentle woman leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Take care of it, son. You and Sharpay have enough to deal with."

They finished washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen when his mother asked, "Are you going to Sharpay's house tomorrow or is she coming here?"

Troy shrugged. He really didn't know. He expected he'd get a call from her the following day during his lunch hour. She really was a take charge kind of girl and even if she got more than a little bossy at times, it was refreshing and nice to not have to plan everything out himself and take care of all the details. Plus, Sharpay was extremely good at coordinating multiple schedules and making sure they were all exactly where they needed to be. So he practically left all of their meetings up to her. She decided where they went and what they did, and that was fine with him.

"Well, tomorrow is pizza Wednesday, so if she wants to come over here she can help us make and bake them." Troy's mother cut her eyes to him. "As long as the two of you promise not to bake anything without me being there."

"We got distracted!" Troy defended with a goofy smile.

"I can imagine," she said with a knowing smile. "But could the both of you promise not to destroy my kitchen anymore? I like it without the black burn marks and the fire department being called out."

Troy grabbed a brownie square off the nearby display platter and smiled cheekily at his mother. "Sure, mom," he said on his way out of the kitchen, "but you know those burnt marks were there long before Sharpay and I got a hold of the kitchen." He dodged the kitchen towel that came flying at his head and ran with a laugh down the hall to his room.


	12. Chapter 12

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy is happy. Sharpay is happy. Ryan is happy. And for once nothing crashes and burns.

Notes: Sorry for being a tad late with the update. I had to fly out to Texas suddenly for a few days and I did not enjoy myself, which put me in a bad mood to write. I hope it doesn't show in this chapter.

**Warnings: This chapter contains homosexuality regarding a prominent character. If this is not your cup of tea I respect that, and I expect you to respect me enough to either skip the chapter or skip that certain part of the chapter. Should anyone leave me even one crude, rude, disrespectful, or unacceptable comment concerning how I choose to represent the character in a fictional world, I will not ignore you, instead I will respond with adequate retribution. Do not test me. Your ISP address is traceable via FFN, and being anonymous will not hide you. I have given fair warning.**

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Twelve:

Troy had never been happier in his life--and it showed.

A month passed slowly, but enjoyably, and Troy found himself with a sudden breath of fresh air. As a person alone he felt better, not that Gabriella had ever made him unhappy, but he'd generally never been satisfied. Sharpay instead inspired some deep welling of pleasure in him, and it rippled outward.

His jump shot improved, and he seemed to have more stamina when playing either a serious game of basketball, or just shooting hoops with his friends. Even his father remarked on the improvement, also noting Troy's growing dedication to extra practices and intense workouts that in the past he'd shirked away from.

There was an improvement in academia as well. He cracked open his books a bit more, and began studying in earnest when Sharpay insisted (and even when she didn't). She wanted to go away to college in a few years, a nice private one where she could be as safe as possible, and she wanted him to go with her, which required an improvement in his grades. So he worked extra hard, and his test scores rocketed upwards, earning him praise from family and friends.

Even his relationship with his parents and brother improved. They'd always been close before, but now he found himself completely relaxed in their company. He stopped going out so often with his friends and instead helped his father work on Teddy's clubhouse (which was now being completely redesigned around the curtain patterns Sharpay had picked out), and began working on restoring his mother's classic car, discovering she was quite the mechanic. He even spent more time with Teddy, taking the kid to the park to participate in a community baseball game, and swimming at the local pool.

But mostly Troy felt better internally. The weight that lifted off his chest was indescribable.

Which all mean that he needed to take the next step with Sharpay, and get her involved with his friends. She was certainly enough for him for the rest of his life, but he cherished his friends from school and he wanted her to get along with them. He wanted them to accept her, so he didn't have to choose.

Naturally, he realized, inviting Sharpay to the basketball game at the end of the week meant she'd be meeting all of his friends, Gabriella included.

He asked her on Wednesday, the game being Friday night. And asking her of course meant asking Ryan, and Henry and Harrison. It still felt odd having them all tag along on his and Sharpay's dates, even if they kept their distance most of the time, and Harrison only sent him death glares every other minute instead of a constant glare that burned holes in his head.

"I don't know," Sharpay said reluctantly, surprising Troy. A while back when he'd proposed the both of them attending one of his game she'd all but jumped at the chance, smiling so wide he thought she was in danger of breaking something.

"What's the matter?" he asked. He knew Sharpay wasn't a huge fan of sports, well, she did consider shopping to be one, but that was a matter of opinion.

"It'll be the first real public place," she said slowly. Up until that point they'd stuck to each other's houses, small and intimate restaurants, and pigging out on the back of a car while someone drove them around and they listened to show tunes.

Troy's eyebrows kitted together. "You don't want to go then?"

He thought he saw a flash of pain on her face, certainly not of the physical nature, and he understood at once. Sharpay was as rebellious as possible, and she was fiercely independent, but she was also just as scared for her life as her father. The basketball game's environment would expose her largely for the first time in a long time. It was much different from the mall where she could sneak around with a disguise and keep on the move. And Troy almost felt ashamed for not realizing it sooner.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible, "who cares about some basketball game. How about you just come over on Saturday and we'll do some gardening?" He'd first been surprised she found the often tedious task of gardening to be pleasurable, even therapeutic, but he didn't question it, knowing the work went twice as fast with two.

She looked indignantly at him. "No way, Troy Bolton. All I ever hear you and your dad talk about is how killer your jump shot is, and how much of a star player you are. I want to see for my own eyes. I'll be there." Her shoulders fell a bit. "It's just I know daddy won't be happy. There's no way Henry or Harrison can adequately cover a gym."

"If it's a safety issue I'd rather you just not come," Troy said finally. "Shar, it's not that big of a deal. You're a million times more important to me than some game."

She waved him off, touched by his concern. "I'll have Ryan with me." She leaned back on the countertop of her house's kitchen. She was perched dangerously next to a cup of red juice and Troy winced at the thought of her staining her white top, knowing somehow they blame would fall to him. Sharpay could just be like that. She had a certain problem with blaming others for her own accidents and downfalls, and while she was working hard to correct her shortcomings, Troy had felt the brunt of them for quite a while. Still, she was just endearing enough for him to overlook everything, especially when he got apology kisses from her.

"You know it's the fifteenth tomorrow," Ryan said, strolling into the kitchen and towards the refrigerator. Neither Troy nor Sharpay were sure if he'd heard one bit of their conversation or was merely striking up his own conversation.

"So?" Sharpay asked, craning towards her twin. Troy took the moment to swoop in and steal the glass of juice away, grinning into the cup when Sharpay glared at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Earth to Sharpay," Ryan snipped, pulling out a water bottle. "Who comes home tomorrow?"

There was a deafening squeal that permeated the air. Troy winced, and Ryan smirked, already having covered his ears in prediction of his sister's reaction.

"What?" Troy asked, looking between the siblings. "Who comes home tomorrow?"

"Fulton!" Sharpay exclaimed, and Troy didn't like that dreamy look on her face one bit.

"And who," Troy asked, hoping his voice didn't come out as hard as he imagined it had, "is Fulton?"

Ryan perked on his feet. "Only the coolest guy ever."

Sharpay nodded emphatically. "Fulton is the best."

Troy let out an exasperated sigh.

Ryan asked, "You didn't think Henry and Harrison were the only ones keeping an eye on us around here, did you?"

Troy's eyebrows rose. He felt slightly better in knowing that Fulton was another bodyguard, but not completely, almost annoyed by the glint in Sharpay's eyes.

"Just because you don't see anyone else, doesn't mean they aren't around," Ryan continued. "Fulton is actually our primary babysitter," Ryan bit out the last word.

Sharpay jumped in, "But Fulton doesn't babysit."

Ryan conceded, "Okay, so he doesn't. He's pretty much the only one who treats us like adults, which is honestly a little weird, considering."

Troy wanted to ask considering what, but Sharpay added, "Henry and Harrison mostly stick with daddy at home and if he has to leave. Fulton has been away for a while, so that's why they've been shadowing us recently."

"And then there's Jamie and Stacey," Ryan pointed out, "but we don't see them more than a couple times a year."

Troy felt the usual unease in his stomach growing. Once again he was confronted with how little he knew about Sharpay and her family. He often said he wanted to know more, if not for only being able to protect himself, his family and Sharpay (and maybe a bit for his curiosity) but the more he did learn, the more it scared him. Who needed five people watching out for them like the Evans did? How dangerous was it if there was nearly half a dozen people armed to the teeth and ready to exercise deadly force if necessary?

"Fulton goes away every couple of months, but he's so good daddy doesn't mind and gives him all the free time he needs," Sharpay said softly. "With pay."

It was a concerned tone she spoke in that had Troy asking, "Why?"

"He's got a younger brother," Ryan volunteered almost hesitantly. "And he has an older sister. They've been on their own since Fulton was pretty young. He works for our father because it's good pay, and his younger brother is sick. Fulton and his older sister both work full time to keep up with the hospital bills, and since our father pays him whether he's actually working or not, he can afford to go spend some time with his brother in the hospital."

"Fulton's been gone a lot over the past couple years," Sharpay said, her hand sliding into Troy's. "His little brother has leukemia. He's probably not going to make it, so Fulton really wants to spend as much time with him as possible."

Troy felt incredibly guilty for being so jealous over a person he'd never met and was surely a good person. Troy was sure he'd do anything for his own little brother, and had when Teddy was sick, and for Fulton's unwavering dedication to his family Troy respected him. He could deal with Sharpay gushing over the man, even if it didn't make him happy in the least bit.

"He always comes back right on time," Sharpay said with a small bounce. "On the fifteenth and not a day early or late. Maybe daddy will feel better with Fulton there too. In fact I'm sure he will."

Troy nodded. "Afterwards we can go to this nice restaurant my mom took my dad to for his birthday. It's supposed to be really cool." And Troy knew the prices were also reasonable. He was getting a little low on funds, even if Sharpay was a modern girl and insisted on pay for them some times, mostly when Troy couldn't talk her out of it and she began to pout at him in an almost painful way. Troy knew he'd have to pick up a job as soon as basketball season was over, probably during the summer, to be able to afford a girlfriend like Sharpay. Not that he particularly minded spending money on her, because she always appreciated and reciprocated in her own ways, but she was a lot more expensive than Gabriella had ever been.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Not another one." He crossed his arms defiantly. "Do you have any idea when happens to me when you guys decide to get disgustingly romantic at one of those places? I end up in a both with Henry or Harrison, or both, and I get the endless stares and cheap comments. Neither one of them is my idea of a perfect date, and certainly not them together."

"So you need a date?" Troy asked honestly. He did feel bad that Ryan had to come along with them, and he didn't know for how much longer it would be. If having someone along for Ryan would make him feel better, he'd do his best to make it happen.

Ryan cut eyes towards him. "Maybe."

"Okay," Troy said. "Be prepared to look sharp of Friday night." Later on Troy would asked Sharpay about Ryan's preferences, though he had a good idea already. He had plenty of friends who'd jump at a chance to date Ryan, even through a blind date which were universally despised by most people.

Ryan looked uneasy for a moment, before nodding sharply and going off.

Troy felt Sharpay's arms encircle his waist and she pressed her cheek against his chest. "Thanks," she breathed out. "It's more than a little unfair Ryan hasn't found anyone yet. Sometimes I think he's too lonely, like I was. He needs someone. So thanks for doing this for him."

Troy told her, "No problem, though we have to talk about his preferences," kissed her deeply, and then set about asking what kind of person Ryan was attracted to. Fulton was forgotten for the moment and until Friday, Troy knew he could breathe easy.

On Friday Troy piled into his dad's car a few hours before the game. His mother and Teddy would follow shortly after, and he'd meet Chad and the guys there, but traditionally the time before games was spent in short bursts of male parental bonding. They didn't talk about basketball, oddly enough, but everything else instead.

"Sharpay's first game?" his father asked him. Troy dipped his head. "I hope she knows what to expect. The Wildcat games can get a little rowdy." Not dangerous, because certainly there were enough parental volunteers, campus security and coaches to keep everyone in line, but the games were always exciting and busy. The stands were never still or calm, and for a first time attendee it could be more than a little uncomfortable.

"Shar says she and Ryan will be fine. They've got some guy, Fulton coming with them, and he's going to sit up in the stands with them just in case. Plus, Shar's a tough girl, dad If someone pushes her she's going to push right back."

About twenty minutes before the game, with his dad distracted, Troy snuck off to the main portion of the gym, scouting for Sharpay and Ryan. He'd asked his friends to save the two of them, plus a guest, seats near the front. He did this strictly because he wanted Sharpay and Ryan to emulsify themselves with people Troy trusted, but also because Gabriella's Friday night study sessions with Taylor and a few other school students always ran late, and they usually arrived to the game well into the second half, sitting towards the back. He still honestly wasn't ready to have Sharpay and Gabriella near each other against, fearful Gabriella would find out she'd been traded for Sharpay. And Sharpay was somewhat territorial, and Troy knew she wouldn't do well with her boyfriend's ex.

He spotted the twins near the doorway, looking wary of the amount of people already in the gym, and his breath was stolen away. The world faded away from him and his focus was entirely on Sharpay, in her white dress (his favorite color by far on her), and white shoes, hair curled and bouncing freely on her shoulders. And there on her neck, tied expertly and delicately was the scarf he'd bought for her.

"Hey, Troy!" she saw him and waved, catching Ryan by the arm and dragging him over to where Troy stood near the entrance to the locker rooms.

"You made it!" Troy exclaimed, catching her around the waist and lifting her off her feet in a strong hug. He breathed in her sweet smell and reluctantly relinquished his grip on her.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied, smile wide.

Next to her Ryan's hands went to his hips. "So, where's this date of mine?" he asked, and Troy could see the eagerness in his eyes.

"You look good too, Ryan." Troy said friendly, taking note of the boy's own white outfit of formfitting white pants and polo tee. With the matching white hat and shoes he was completely decked out in white as well, and Troy stopped to think about how often Sharpay and Ryan dressed alike. They were twins, and despite being of different genders, when he stopped to consider, they did often coordinate their clothing. It was almost a little creepy, and he wondered which twin initiated it, or if it was something biological.

Ryan beamed at Troy's comment.

"He's on the team," Troy said easily enough. "He'll meet us after the game."

Ryan looked a little crestfallen. "A jock?" Sharpay knocked him on the shoulder for the comment.

Troy laughed a little. "Don't worry. He likes his tap as much as his basketball. You guys will get along great, and I bet he won't bring up the game once."

"So what number should I look for?"

Troy shook his head. "That would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? It's supposed to be a blind date."

Sharpay squeezed Troy's hand in a thankful gesture and turned to her brother. "Be thankful anyone is willing to date you, my prim Dona brother."

Ryan barked out a laugh. "Says the pot to the kettle."

"Troy!"

The basketball player leaned around Sharpay and Ryan to the direction his name had been called and spied a friend of his making her way to him.

"Sharpay, Ryan, this is Kendall." He introduced the twins to a tall, red-haired girl with a crooked but beautiful smile. "She promises to take good care of you guys during the game."

The girl, Kendall, leaned into Sharpay's personal space and Troy held his breath.

"I only got one question for you, Barbie," she asked.

Sharpay raised an eyebrow and held her ground. "And what's that, Strawberry Shortcake?"

Troy could tell Ryan was holding his breath as well as the pause that hung in the air seemed to last forever.

"You like nachos?"

"With jalapeños," Sharpay said curtly.

Kendall jumped forward and linked her arm with Sharpay's. "Okay, gotta go, Troy. See you after the game. Have fun!" Then she was off, dragging a willing Sharpay with her.

"Where's Fulton?" Troy asked, trying to regain his breath and recover from the scare.

Ryan looked at him with somewhat glazed eyes. "Around, somewhere. I'm sure he can see us, even if we can't see him You'll meet him afterwards."

Troy nodded in a daze. "Yeah. Okay. I should go."

Ryan agreed, "Me too."

Troy gave one last look in the direction of Sharpay and Kendall who were happily chatting with another blonde girl Troy recognized, a guy from his English class and another person he didn't personally know, but saw often.

While he was absolutely glad Sharpay was getting along so well with Kendall, who was a dear friend, he wasn't exactly sure if he ought to be scared instead. Sharpay was devious in her own right, but Kendall was an avid chemistry student. Troy hoped they could get through the game without the two girls blowing the gym up.


	13. Chapter 13

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sharpay's past is revealed, and Troy thinks maybe he didn't want to know after all.

Notes: This chapter went on a bit longer than I expected, but hey, that just means good times for you guys, right?

Warnings: The usual: occasional adult content, sketchy grammar on my part, and homosexual themes that aren't going away anytime soon.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Thirteen:

By halftime several things were going well for Troy.

At first he'd thought for sure he'd be a nervous wreck playing in front of Sharpay, knowing her eyes were on him the entire time. The first time he'd played a serious game in front of his mother his freshmen year, junior high games not particularly counting, he'd missed nearly all of his shots and been fouled several times. His father had been disappointed, but understanding, and his mother had never said anything. She more than anyone else could sense the situation, and the next game went a million times better. Of course Troy also realized being a sophomore and the varsity squad captain meant he couldn't afford those days anymore.

Surprisingly he played his best ever. He and Chad were the near unstoppable duo, almost working on a whole different level of communication. Thus, by half time the Wildcats were up twenty-five points and with the offensive domination, fully expected to win the game by an even bigger points spread.

Having Sharpay there rooting him on, and he'd almost winced the first time he'd clearly heard her distinct voice ring out, seemed to spur him on to give more than his best. It was a good feeling.

And slipping away from his father's pep talk about keeping up the good work, gave him a second or two to scan the gym for several different people.

Sharpay was still sitting near the front row, talking adamantly with Kendall, Ryan next to her hold the nachos with a far off look in his eyes (and Troy thought maybe sporting games really, really weren't Ryan's description of fun).

He still couldn't find Fulton, not that he knew what to look for. Troy was sure the guy was blending in expertly, even in an auditorium full of teenagers. Yet Troy could clearly see Henry near the south double doors, and Troy supposed that was the exit closest to where he's probably parked the car. Harrison was missing, though Troy wasn't terribly upset, forever having to squash down the bad feeling he got from the man whenever he saw him.

And lastly he couldn't see Gabriella. Granted, his vantage point wasn't spectacular, but it allowed him to see most of the gym and he couldn't find her. He thought maybe it was for the best, because they hadn't been on great terms over the past few days, a decided awkwardness between them. He wondered if she'd even show up, and then figured she probably would, as Taylor would be coming to cheer her boyfriend on and lately Gabriella and Taylor has been the best of friends.

The rest of the game went well, the Wildcats did win, and when the final buzzer rang he had only moments to prepare himself for the arms that grabbed him strongly and the body that pressed up against his. The culprit, Sharpay, remarked almost immediately, "You're all sweaty," but hugged him tighter anyway.

"That sure was fun," Ryan remarked vapidly next to them.

"Thanks for coming," Troy told him knowingly. "I promise, next time you can pick the place and Shar and I will tag along."

Troy had to suffer through the strong congratulations from dozens of people in the stands and roughly half his team before he could leave Sharpay and Ryan to shower and change. He told them, "Give me fifteen minutes, okay? I brought my clothes with me so we can go right to the restaurant after I shower."

"My date?" Ryan asked, craning around to eye the players quickly disappearing from sight. Troy had no doubt he'd spent the game watching each male and evaluating them, not that Troy couldn't say he wasn't guilty of the same process when he watched the female teams of the school.

Troy gave a quick look around. "I don't see him. I bet he's already showering and changing. Don't worry, Ryan, you'll like him. How about you guys head to the snack bar and get me another bottle of water. I'll be ready to go by the time you fight through the people to get back here."

It was the fastest shower of his life, but he dressed almost painfully slowly. He was in no way vain, often preferring to throw on sweat pants and a tee shirt as opposed to any other clothing, but Sharpay always inspired him to look his best when they went out, if to a burger joint or a fancy restaurant.

"Hey, Sam!" Troy called, catching sight of the basketball player who'd agreed to go out on a blind date. "Ready to go?"

The male nodded back, dressed very impressively, and together they headed to the snack bar.

Troy could tell Ryan approved of Sam almost immediately, and even Troy, who was generally a straight guy, could appreciate the handsome basketball player. There was simply something appealing about the tall, dark haired man with blue eyes, a strong jaw and just an exotic hint of Latin in him.

"Sam, this is Ryan," Troy said, introducing them to each other. "Ryan, meet Sam."

"You know," Sam said with a smile in his tone and on his face, "I almost backed away from Troy when he said he wanted to set me up on a blind date, and by backed away I mean I almost ran. These things really aren't my style. But I'm glad I didn't. Really glad."

Troy pretended he couldn't hear Sharpay squeal in delight next to him, the sound barely muffled by her face being pressed into his shoulder.

"So where's Fulton?" Troy asked, overly anxious to meet the man.

"He's actually standing behind you," a voice said.

Troy whipped around and came toe to toe with an unexpected picture. And maybe it was because Henry and Harrison were so incredibly intimidating and large and … well, scary. Or the fact that they had a very disturbing habit of keeping to the shadows and seeming as mean and imposing as possible. Fulton was like Mickey Mouse in comparison.

"I thought you'd be bigger," Fulton said appraisingly.

Troy answered honestly, "I thought you'd be older." Because Fulton looked to Troy like he was a frat boy on vacation from school. He couldn't be out of his twenties, with soft, almost baby like features, and shaggy brown hair. He sort of slouched over, hands fisted in his pockets and there was nothing remotely scary about a guy who Troy on first glance would have thought sat in a basement playing Halo.

"Oy!" he remarked indignantly to Troy. "I'm old enough, aren't I, Pay?"

"Pay?" Troy asked, suddenly noticing his girlfriend had slipped away from his side and was now plastered to Fulton's. Troy felt his annoyance returning.

"I told you not to call me that," Sharpay hissed.

Likewise, Fulton responded at the same time, "Yeah, Pay, because she certainly makes you pay for everything you say or do." It was all in good fun, but Troy couldn't help but feel a bit offended for Sharpay.

"We gonna get out of here?" Ryan asked, and Troy got the feeling he was used to the interaction between Sharpay, Fulton and any other unsuspecting victim.

"Sure," Fulton said easily. "Okay, boys and girls, let's move out. And please, remember to keep your eyes and ears open at all times, hands and feet inside the designated areas, and hold it if ya gotta go, because there ain't no bathroom breaks on this ride, kids." He shone almost childlike happiness and added, "You lead the way, Pay." Sharpay huffed.

Troy suddenly realized they Ryan and Sharpay found it odd that Fulton treated them as much like adults as the situation would allow, because Henry and Harrison might have even suggested holding her hand out of the auditorium, never mind letting her lead. It was strange to see someone so easy going and almost juvenile in charge of protecting Sharpay and Ryan and doling out commands.

Henry and Harrison joined them a moment later.

"I drove here," Sam pointed out, thumbing towards a small but nice white car in the parking lot when they exited the gym. "I'll just follow you guys. I doubt all of us want to squish into one car."

Troy sighed in relief. He'd warned Sam that there were extenuating circumstances with Ryan and subsequently Sharpay and their whole family. He'd said that there's be several guys in suits following them around, trying their best to put everyone on edge, and Troy had almost honestly believed Sam would back out sometime between meeting Ryan, and meeting Henry and Harrison.

"Mind if I ride with you?" Ryan asked, surprising Troy. For the most part Troy interpreted Ryan's character as being somewhat passive. He didn't get worked up about things, or exert abundant signs of aggression. In fact he was almost docile at moments, happy with himself and more than capable of enduring solitude. Troy had never seen him act so forcefully in his life.

Sam smiled at his date. "No problem." 

There was a moment of confusion when silently, with glares and nonverbal dead threats Henry and Harrison argued amongst themselves about Ryan riding in a different car, and which one of them would be going along. Troy felt the brunt of their annoyance as well, and took to standing somewhat slightly behind Sharpay who was more than indifferent to their looks, but capable of throwing them back tenfold.

They reached the restaurant in ample time and for the first time Troy and Sharpay had a buffer from Henry and Harrison. They sat in a booth near the back, with Sam and Ryan sharing a table as the buffer in-between them. Fulton was off at the small bar located in the opposite corner of the place, chatting with a pretty waitress.

Sharpay ordered for the both of them when the waitress finally pried herself away from Fulton, and when they were alone she leaned across the table and told Troy, "I just wanted to say thank you again, for setting Ryan up. He really likes Sam." She raised an eyebrow. "I hope Sam's a good guy."

Troy laughed a little at the protective streak in Sharpay emerging. He reassured her. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he is. He transferred from West High at the beginning of this year, and honestly I'm glad he likes Ryan, because he's always moping around looking for someone he's interested in. Shar, he's a good student, he helps out in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Club, and he's been my friend for a while now. I'd only set him up with Ryan if I trusted him." 

Sharpay nodded satisfied. "Are we still going bowling after you get out of school on Wednesday?"

Troy nodded. "Meet me there or pick me up?"

"You should probably meet me and Ryan there," Sharpay said. "Daddy has important people coming by the house on that day. It's the only reason he's letting us go."

Troy frowned. "He's having company?" He never knew Sharpay's father to have company.

"Important people," she said softly. "Nothing can mess this up."

Troy reached across the table and took her outstretched hand in his own. He met her eyes and asked her finally, after desiring to do so for so long, "Sharpay, I need you to tell me everything." When she looked away he squeezed her hand. "I want you to trust me."

"I can't," she said, refusing to meet his eyes again.

"You have to," he told her. "I will be with you until the end, through thick and thin, but it isn't fair that I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

She turned on him sharply. "It isn't fair you're asking me this," she hissed at him.

"Sharpay. Trust me."

They sat through several tense moments before finally Sharpay nodded. She told him tersely, "I hope you'll be happy when I finish."

There was resentment in her voice that made Troy regret his pushing almost at once.

"Daddy was a lawyer out in California before Ryan and I were born. He was the best. He took on all the cases that no one else would and he won them, earning himself a good reputation. So as time when on he got more clients, ones that could pay more, and he moved onto high profile cases."

Her father was a lawyer, which to Troy certainly explained a lot.

Sharpay continued lowly, "I guess the money got to him. He came from a poor family. His mother raised him alone and they were always fighting to keep their heads above water. He only got into college because of a scholarship, and had to work two and sometimes three jobs to pay for law school. So when the money really started coming in and he could marry mom, I suppose he decided he liked that life style."

Troy nodded encouragement.

"The deeper in he went, and the dirtier people who hired him, the more secrets he learned. Not the kind of secrets that can cost you a relationship, but the kind that get you killed, Troy. By the time he learned those, it was too late to back out."

"Your mom didn't mind?" Troy asked in disbelief.

"Mom didn't really know," Sharpay corrected. "She was sharp as nails, but when daddy got in too deep Ryan and I were babies and she had her hands full. She was also going back to school to earn her Master's, and she just didn't see what was in front of her."

Their drinks arrived and they sat in silence, almost uncomfortable with each other.

"Daddy says work and family got too close. The people, his clients, started coming over to the house. They couldn't keep their distance and daddy didn't like that Ryan and I were getting too close to really bad people."

"So he tried to get out," Troy surmised.

Sharpay nodded. "He finished up his cases and decided not to take on anymore. But the kind of people he worked for, Troy, were forever in trouble, and they wanted the best. When daddy said he wouldn't represent them, around the time Ryan and I were starting kindergarten, they got real aggressive. We started getting threats, and mom was being followed to and from work. Daddy knew it was only a matter of time before they moved against the family directly and he was scared they'd use us for ransom or worse."

"What happened?"

"He went to the FBI. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe he should have kept the secrets in, but he didn't. He told the FBI almost everything about the most dangerous people in the united states. The FBI put us into hiding in exchange. It was no big secret, even to me and Ryan at that age, that bad people were going to be coming after us for the testimony daddy promised to give, especially against Gideon Pao."

Troy asked, "Who's Gideon Pao?"

Sharpay waved her hand with annoyance. "He's the son of one of Hong Kong's biggest players in the import/export business. His father mysteriously disappeared and Gideon Pao took over the business, shipping goods and people illegally. Daddy had helped him out lots of times on the technical aspects of avoiding the law."

Troy settled back in his seat, feeling a bit short of breath. "What about your mom?"

Sharpay said sadly, "You can't stay hidden forever, right?" She sighed deeply. "After she died daddy took us in deeper, further than the FBI's reaches. He decided on a special protection force, which is why we've got Henry and Harrison and the rest of them."

"Is this Gideon Pao guy still after you?" Troy asked. "Won't he just leave you alone, since your dad isn't testifying anymore?"

"A man like that doesn't leave lose ends, Troy. He's not going to let daddy get away with walking away, and with his secrets. And, daddy isn't exactly not cooperating with the FBI." 

"The meeting on Wednesday," Troy said.

"Yeah. The case against him has come back up after all these years and there's a real chance the FBI could get him for good if daddy agrees to testify. He's probably going to do it, too. If he does, it has to be soon, because if the case passes by without daddy's testimony Pao gets off scot-free, and he'll continue right along hurting people, and coming after daddy and me and Ryan."

Troy swallowed hard. He'd imagined something bad, but not nearly as horrific as what Sharpay had told him. In fact he felt quite ill.

"Still happy you found out?"

"Relieved is more like it, sorta" he mumbled. "I guess now I understand your dad a little better, maybe I even understand you more."

"We have to be extra careful over the next few weeks," she said seriously. "If daddy agrees to testify it'll only be if he knows Ryan and I are safe, because he'll have to leave to go to DC, and he can't take us with him for security reasons. If he thinks that we've been compromised in any way I'm pretty sure he'll make us run again."

"This Pao guy wants to kill your dad, right? What about you and Ryan?"

She rested an elbow on the table and leaned forward on the palm of her hand, displaying an unusual lapse in manners. "I bet he's looking for me and Ryan especially. He could hold either or both of us over daddy's head long enough for the trial to pass."

Troy didn't get the feeling that she and Ryan would just be let go in the end either.

She seemed to perk up a little. "But everything is cool. We've been careful, none of daddy's contacts has picked up any information about us floating around, and no one even knows if we're in the country, so it would be almost impossible for Pao to track us down in the next few months."

Troy leaned back in his seat and shook his head. "Somehow I don't feel comforted by the word almost, Shar." He paused and peered at her suspiciously. "Is that even your real name?"

He was happy to hear the giggle that came from her. "Evans is my mother's maiden name, and Sharpay is my middle name, even though my mom always called me by it."

Troy did a double take. "Middle name? What about Ryan? What's your first name?"

Their server appeared with their food at that moment, and Sharpay pulled herself off the table with a devious smile. "You've had your fair share of secrets told to you tonight, Troy Bolton." And Troy conceded, happy enough not to ask anymore question or receive anymore answers.

Sam drove Troy home that night in silence, if somehow sensing the pensive mood his friend was in. "Thanks," he told Troy outside his house. "Ryan's a great guy. You're a pal for setting us up."

His parents asked about his date, like usual, and before going to bed he gave them a full report on everything except what Sharpay had told him. He wanted to tell his parents, he thought they deserved to know, but Sharpay's secret was his to keep, and he had to honor her first.

His mother brought him a cup of hot chocolate just after he settled in bed and at once he knew that she knew something was different. She didn't pry, because his mother always let him come to her on his own terms, but Troy had a feeling it would be a lot harder to keep Sharpay's story than he'd ever imagined, and maybe he had bitten off a lot more than he could chew.


	14. Chapter 14

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: The gang goes bowling and predictably it ends badly.

Notes: I think asking for reviews is kind of like asking a kid to willingly go to the dentist. So I make it a habit not to. However, I review just about everything I read on principle alone, but I in no way impose that standard on anyone else. Still, honestly, my readers, thirty-five of you have this on your favorites list, and only five of you managed to drop a few words in a review. I would like to thank **xamyxjx, AshleyZac4life, Stessa, xOverIt**, and **Evane21** personally for their reviews. They mean a lot to me.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Fourteen:

Chad caught up to Troy on Wednesday just after the final bell. He looped his arm through Troy's, his ever faithful basketball tucked to his side.

"What's up?" Troy asked. He tried not to look down at the watch on his wrist. His dad had agreed to take him right to the bowling alley after school, which meant he was probably already waiting by the car. And Troy didn't want to push his luck, because he knew how easily he could be spending the afternoon in the gym instead of hanging out with his girlfriend, her brother and several kids from school.

"The guys and I are gonna hit up Pete's Pizza and shoot some hoops. You wanna join us?"

Troy managed to steer the both of them towards the main doors of the school. "Can't. Sorry. I promised Sharpay and Ryan we'd go bowling. They haven't been bowling since they were kids."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Three is a pretty small number to go bowling with."

Troy wasn't sure if Chad was fishing for information, though he didn't put it past him. He knew better than anyone else that Chad had a deep fear of being left out of matters. It was why the teenager was on the basketball and baseball teams, and why he surrounded himself with as many people as possible. And Troy certainly didn't want him to think he was being left out on purpose.

He reluctantly supplied, "Well, Sam's going to meet us there. And Kendall and her cousin Amanda are going to be there, too. I think that's it. It was supposed to be just the three of us, but I guess this is what I get for letting someone else organize things. Ryan asked if he could bring Sam along and Sharpay nearly shot through the roof at the idea. I think she likes Sam more than Ryan does, and she's getting along scary well with Kendall, and Kendall's cousin is only in town for the week. You try saying no to Sharpay and her lower lip."

"We don't see each other that much anymore," Chad said darkly. "All you do is spend time with Sharpay and her brother and people I don't know."

"You know Kendall," Troy pointed out, "probably about as well as I do. Where's this coming from?"

Chad shrugged.

"So why don't you come?" Troy proposed. "You liked bowling the last time I checked." Of course at that moment Troy had a horrific flash of Chad bringing along his girlfriend, and then Taylor pulling Gabriella and Kelsi with her like she so tended to do. Troy liked to bowl with a large group of people, but even more he liked those people not to be at each other's throats. It hadn't happened yet, but Troy could already see the catfight between Sharpay and Gabriella, and Taylor and Kendall didn't get along exactly well either.

Chad eyed him carefully. "Come bowling with you and your friends?"

"I'd appreciate it, now that I think about it." He felt like he was forever striving to mix his two lives successfully.

"At the Alleycat?" Chad asked.

Troy nodded. "We're gonna start a game at four. Come. You might actually enjoy yourself."

Not more than five minutes later, sitting in his father's car, having managed to convince Chad to show up, Troy actually began to think about what he'd done. He'd been so concerned with fitting the people in his life together that he hadn't stopped to think about the volatile situations that could come from the mixing.

Sharpay and Kendall had gotten along well because aside from the fact that Kendall was heavily athletic, and Sharpay's idea of a sport was shopping, they shared a love of theatre. The two girls didn't mind porking out together on more food in one sitting than most girls would be caught eating in a week, and they had no shame in it. They liked the same movies, the same music and both, greatly to Troy's annoyance, spent many hours drooling over Brad Pitt. They were simply well matched on more things than not.

Sam and Ryan had taken well to each other part in partial, at least in Troy's opinion, because they were both desperate. It also helped that Ryan fostered a deep love of art and Sam painted avidly, and the both of them loved dance of all kinds. The fact that Sam was about as masculine as men came, was a side item. But mostly Troy thought it was the desperation. Sam seemed to be endlessly picky about his dates and had pretty much overlooked each available male in the school, and Ryan was going on a sixteen year drought.

Mixing the Evans siblings and Chad would be a completely different story. Troy imagined Chad and Ryan would pretty much ignore each other, being civil to each other, but never reaching a level of friendship. They were simply too radically different, at least as they were at the moment. He worried mostly about Sharpay and Chad. Chad liked girls, as friends and more, to be less than outspoken. He liked independent women all the same, but he liked to be the center of attention and have control of the situation. Sharpay was nothing like that. She often wore the pants, and she wore them with pride. She'd challenge Chad from the start, and Troy knew Chad wouldn't back down. There'd be fireworks … or possibly just fire.

Troy stepped into the air conditioned bowling alley a few minutes after four and spotted Sharpay almost at once. She and Ryan, being shadowed by just Fulton, surprisingly, occupied the last lane all the way at the end. Sharpay was sprawling over the tacky plastic bowling chairs while Ryan worked diligently over the computer chart where he was entering their names.

There were also several people surrounding them. Troy recognized the tall form of Kendall, testing her bowling ball out, talking animatedly to another red head who had to be her cousin. And Sam was heading towards the twins with a smile and a pair of worn bowling shoes in an outstretched hand. There were two dark-haired males Troy didn't recognize from school, and they looked a bit too old to attend anyway.

"Troy!" Sharpay shouted, rising to her feet the minute she saw him.

"Hey!" he called back, walking swiftly over to the group. "Everything okay?" he asked Sharpay quietly, taking her into his arms for a brief but meaningful hug.

She nodded, taking a moment to press her forehead into his shoulder. "Yeah."

"Troy," Kendall said, stepping up next to him. "My brother had to tag along," she reported in an annoyed tone.

Sharpay rose up a bit on her tiptoes and whispered into Troy's ear, "The other guy is her boyfriend. He's a lot older than her; he's in college. See, we aren't the only ones with chaperones."

Troy took in Kendall's crossed arms and her sulking a laughed a bit. He wondered if he'd ever looked like she did in the beginning when he'd first started dating Sharpay.

"I can hear you," Kendall said lowly. "Five years. Just five." She turned on heel and stalked back over to both males.

"Five years is a lot when you're sixteen and he's twenty-one," Troy said.

Sharpay shrugged. "Love is love. If they stick it out long enough five years won't make a difference."

Troy gave her an odd look. "You think they're gonna make it?"

"She looks at him the same way I look at you," Sharpay said with a wide grin. "I'd bet my entire handbag collection."

Troy stopped to consider that.

"Are we gonna play or not?" Ryan asked, swinging around in his seat. Troy noticed for the first time the bowling ball carrier next to his feet, the pristine shoes, and hand and wrist guards. A matching pink set was off to his side and Troy was willing to wager they were Sharpay's.

"Daddy got a little carried away," Sharpay said into Troy's ear. "You should see what he made us wear when we took up archery.

Troy laughed at bit at the idea of Sharpay and Ryan in full body armor before telling the male, "We're just waiting for Chad."

"Chad?" Sharpay asked. She knew full well who the male was. Troy had a habit of going on about him whenever certain subjects came up and Sharpay could tell he and Troy had been best friends for a very long time. However the more she heard the less she liked. "I thought it was just going to be us."

Troy shrugged helplessly. "He brought up a valid point today. I have kinda been avoiding him and spending way more time with you guys. So I invited him to play with us. Is that a problem?"

Nose turned slightly upward, Sharpay shook her head.

Troy's best friend showed roughly ten minutes after Troy himself did, bowling ball tucked under one arm.

"I see you brought the tornado," Troy said with a smile, gesturing to the red ball.

Chad raised an eyebrow at him. "Never leave home without it."

Behind Troy and Chad Kendall sighed dramatically, "He brought the damned thing. We can all just go home now." When Sharpay looked at her in question the red head replied, "He's never lost a game with that thing."

Sharpay nodded slowly. She hadn't been aware that Kendall and Chad were that close of friends.

"Sharpay," Troy said, gesturing to her almost wildly. He reached out for her hand and dragged her to his side, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Chad, this is Sharpay. Sharpay, this is Chad."

Sharpay sized Chad up--sized up the way he was sizing her up.

"Pleasure," she said finally, voice tense.

"I'm sure," Chad said flatly.

Troy shrugged to himself, happy enough their meeting hadn't ended in bloodshed.

"Can we start already?" Ryan asked, accepting his bowling ball from Sam.

"Sure," Troy confirmed, looking up to the monitor to notice he was scheduled to go first.

They played through six frames with relative ease, despite the nine of them squished into one lane. Sharpay and Ryan turned out to be relatively good, managing to almost keep pace with himself and Chad who'd been playing near their whole lives. Kendall seemed far more occupied with her boyfriend than the game and was barely scratching the thirties, though Troy understood that she probably didn't get to see her boyfriend all that often. Her boyfriend played through a few frames, as did her brother, but both males were far more interested in glaring at each other, and never more had Troy been so thankful Ryan approved of his dating Sharpay. Kendall's cousin, Amanda, was quite quiet, and bowled in preferred silence, talking only occasionally, while Sam was boisterous and animated, on the track to a near perfect game.

"There a snack shop around here?" Sharpay asked after Troy had finished half of his frame. She twisted around in her seat, but could only spot the arcade and bar. "I think Fulton needs to cool down," she said suggestively, thumbing at the bodyguard who was holed up in a corner with a magazine that looked suspiciously like Playboy (not that Troy knew what Playboy looked like … or Penthouse).

"Yeah, sure," Troy said, "it's a little tricky to find, actually.

"Troy!" Ryan said, gesturing to the reset pins. "It's still your turn. Hurry up." Troy thought Sam must have promised him ice cream or something as equally appealing, as the blond teen was only growing increasingly desperate to get through the game as fast as possible.

He almost asked Ryan to bowl for him, or even Amanda, before he spotted Chad slouched down on a seat looking incredibly bored. Troy winced a bit at the sight, knowing that this wasn't exactly the kind of group he liked to bowl with.

"Chad," he said, catching his best friend's attention. "Can you show Sharpay where the snacks are?"

Chad almost declined, looking between his anxious friend and a wary Sharpay. But, in an effort to show tolerance, he nodded.

"This way," he said, climbing to his feet and taking off away from the alley.

"Get me a sports drink?" Troy asked, holding money out to her.

She waved the money off. "Daddy gave me plenty." She kissed his cheek and headed off after Chad who was barely visible in the mound of people passing by.

"Get me a soda!" Ryan yelled, only half interested.

Sharpay caught up to Chad as he was entering the small store. They both ended up at the back where the drinks were kept in the refrigerator. "Did anyone else say they wanted anything?" she asked, grabbing Troy's drink and her brother's.

Chad shrugged.

"I don't know why he likes these," she said absentmindedly, looking the colored sports drink over in her hand. "They taste bad in my opinion. And the sugar in here is, well, it's insane, that's what it is. He's lucky his dad said it was okay during basketball season."

Chad cut lowly, "Gabriella used to buy him those drinks all the time. She didn't have a problem with it as long as it made him happy."

Sharpay turned on him in an instance and said, "Little kids like massive amounts of chocolate, too, but you don't see Troy's parents giving it to Teddy by the buckets. If they did we could call that type of action negligence."

The truce ended in that moment, s Chad understand all too well that Sharpay meant Gabriella had been inconsiderate of Troy's health, and especially a bad girlfriend. Chad took that personally, as Gabriella was a good friend of his, and his own girlfriend's best friend.

"Things were just fine before you came around," Chad said bluntly. "Troy and Gabriella were happy. They were perfect, and everything else was, too."

"I'm sorry we can't all live in your perfect little fantasy world. See, this plane of existence we're currently occupying is call reality. You might want to familiarize yourself with it. You aren't getting away from it any time."

"Who do you think you are?" he demanded, voice rising. He grew to his full height, towering over her and continued, "You're just some attention craving brat who saw something pretty she liked and decided to go after it, no matter who you hurt and what you disrupted."

"You're not a very good friend, now are you? You certainly can't be his best friend. If you were you'd have noticed that smile on his face didn't go pretty far. He wasn't happy. He wasn't content. He wasn't satisfied. He was just dealing, and trying to make you all think he wasn't unhappy because he didn't want to make you feel that way. God, for once in his life he's doing something he wants to, feeling the way he needs to, and you come and try to knock him down? _Who do you think you are_?"

Chad slammed the door closed that he'd been holding open, outrage previously having caused him to freeze mid action. "You think you mean so much to him. You say I don't know Troy, but neither do you. He's just some boy you picked up at the mall and decided to latch onto and disrupt his life. You're just a phase. You're his one shot at rebellion. Pretty soon he'll get tired of your whining and your complaining--your bitching, and dump you on your ass. He'll go back to Gabriella, who actually takes into account other people's feelings, and you'll be all alone like you deserve to be. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason he's with you is because you're giving him something a classy girl like Gabriella wouldn't."

She slapped him. Hard. As hard as she could manage. At her feet the cans she'd dropped popped open and sprayed across the floor.

"You're Troy's best friend," she said loathingly. "And I can't change that. I can't get rid of you. But the hell if you think you can talk to me like that. I don't know Gabriella and I couldn't care less about her. She's just some girl in Troy's past that lost when I lucked out. I don't care if she's your friend and you feel like I moved in on her territory. When she comes to me personally and tells me to my face that she has a problem with me taking Troy away from her, I'll listen. Until then you can keep your mouth shut."

Chad hissed at her, cheek ringing with real pain, "You just don't get it, do you? You're the other woman. You're the dirty little secret. Gabriella doesn't know anything about you. She doesn't know he's dating you. He wouldn't dare let anyone know who you are."

"I wonder," she posed, "if you're actually angry that I took Gabriella's place and broke up your little Brady Bunch, or if you're jealous of my relationship with Troy."

"He's like my brother," Troy contended, "And I only love him like that. I want him to end up with a nice girl like Gabriella, not a conniving little manipulator like you."

"I'm not going anywhere," she seethed to him. "You'd better get used to seeing me."

She tried not to run from him, eyes watering and heart pounding painfully in her chest, but by the time she found her way back to Troy and the group she was at a near run.

Troy turned to her at once, noticing the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Fulton looked up from his magazine as if just noticing the situation, though Troy found it hard to believe the man hadn't been aware she'd left with Chad.

"Nothing," she said softly. "Nothing."

"Where's my soda?" Ryan asked.

"Get it yourself!"

"Okay," Troy said, catching her arm. "Bowl my last frame for me," Troy told Ryan and then took Sharpay to the side. "Just what has gotten into you?"

"It was just supposed to be the three of us," she said shortly. "Just me and you and Ryan."

"Yeah, and then Ryan wanted to bring Sam along. He asked you right in front of me and you said you didn't mind. Were you lying?"

"No," she said, looking off to the side. "He makes Ryan happy and he's nice."

"You have a problem with Kendall? Her cousin? Brother or boyfriend?"

"They're quiet enough, and Kendall's cool."

"So it's Chad," Troy said, and she didn't deny.

"It was just supposed to be us," she repeated hotly.

"I refuse to take on an us or them mentality, Sharpay, and don't you dare try and make me. Chad is just as much a part of my life as you are and I won't forsake him because you don't want to share."

"It's not like that." She crossed her arms and glared at him. "It's not that."

"Then what is it? Chad's been nothing but nice to you, and you've been nothing but critical of him. What is your problem? He's my best friend, Why can't you just get along? Why do you have to be so difficult?"

She took a deep breath, feeling her eyes prick with tears again. "I'm going home now," she told him calmly. "Don't call me. Don't come over. If and when I decide to talk to you, I'll call you."

"Sharpay!" he said, pulling at her wrist when she turned away. "What's going on?"

"Leave me alone," she demanded. "and don't ever say that somehow I'd make you choose between anyone you care about and me." She ripped her arm free and stormed up to Fulton.

"Pay?" The man asked, recognizing the look in her eyes.

"I'm leaving. Either you drive me home right now or I'll start walking."

Fulton snapped to his feet, gathering up his coat and magazine as she headed towards the door. "We're leaving," he told Ryan sharply.

"No way!" Ryan nearly shrieked. "I'm not going because Sharpay is having a fit."

"Don't test me," Fulton said in a dangerous voice Troy had never heard before. "Get up now or I will make you."

Ryan moved lightening fast in a show of fear Troy only saw associated with Harrison. He said something soft to Sam, everyone else unable to hear, and hurried off after his sister with Fulton leading the charge.

"What's going on?" Kendall asked. "Sharpay and Ryan left their gear here." She pointed to their stuff sitting on free chairs.

"I don't know," Troy asked honestly.

"You do something inconsiderate?"

"What?" Troy demanded.

Kendall shrugged. "You are male. It's a fair question, especially when a girl storms off like that."

"I got your drink," Chad said, arriving on the scene with several cans and bottles.

"What happened to your cheek?" Troy asked, accepting the sports drink, attention divide between Sharpay's departing form and his injured best friend.

Chad shrugged. "Let's play another game," he said, ignoring Sharpay's absence.

Troy gave him an odd look, feeling incredibly uneasy about what had just transpired.


	15. Chapter 15

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy sets out to make things right, and looses something important in the process.

Notes: Ah, we're so nearing the end. There are only five or so more chapters, possibly an epilogue and then a five part sequel. I adore HSM, but it will be nice to get back to my other fandoms who are being very neglected at the moment.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Fifteen:

"She was being completely unmanageable," Troy said in an exasperated tone. He tangled his hands in his bangs. "Sharpay is Sharpay, and I try to be really tolerant with her, but she had no reason to reject Chad like that. He was nothing but civil to her, and I wasn't asking for them to be friends, just get along."

Sam looked up from his chemistry book. He paused a moment and then reached across their lab table to smack Troy over the back of the head.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Sam asked. "You just used words like unmanageable and tolerant while referring to your girlfriend."

Troy shot him a dirty look at rubbed the back of his head which had been hit fairly brutally.

"You don't talk about people you care about like that," Sam continued in a low tone, eyes flicking over to the chemistry teacher at the front of the room occasionally. "You don't manage people, Troy, and you don't tolerate them."

Troy huffed. "Sharpay isn't the easiest person to get along with. You don't know her like I do. She's demanding and possessive and she almost always absolutely has to have her way. Up until now it hasn't bothered me that much. I just deal with it, because I like the rest of her too much, but yesterday was a turning point."

"I wasn't listening," San said, "I have no clue what she said to you, but you're making this out to be like Armageddon. So she got pissy. That's what girls do sometimes."

"She was imply that it had to be her to Chad. She emphasized that she didn't want him there, and probably that she didn't ever want to be around him again. She was serious."

Sam shrugged, quiet for a moment as the teacher paused in his lecture to scan the room for absent minded students. "So they don't get along," he said when the coast was clear. "Lots of people don't. It's no big deal. Just keep them separate."

Troy said sullenly, "I don't know how to. I need them to be able to stand each other. I don't want to give either of them up, and I will come to resent the other eventually if one tries to make me choose, like I felt Sharpay was. I can't split myself in two for anyone. They're all a part of this one life I have."

Sam reached for a pair of safety goggles and slid them on while Troy did the same when the teacher gave the go-ahead for the start of the lab portion part of the class.

"You ever stop to think how Sharpay feels?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that she is an incredibly territorial person, and she probably can't help the way she is, with her situation and all. She probably sees Chad as someone who could take you away from her, and if she feels for you like you feel for her, it would be like taking a piece of her heart away. She's probably desperate not to be passed off, not to be left behind. So maybe her reaction yesterday was purely instinctual, or hell, maybe she was just on the rag."

Troy gave him an odd look. "You know about Sharpay's situation? How?"

Sam rubbed a hand over his face. "I got pulled from my bed at three in the morning by someone I assumed to be the Gestapo himself, wrangled into a car, and fearing for my life I rode about twenty minutes in silence, and couldn't help but feeling like I was being marched off to my own personal hell."

"Sharpay's father had you abducted from your bed?" Troy couldn't help but suddenly be thankful for the afternoon abduction he'd endured.

"Maybe not three in the morning," Sam relented, "but it felt that way. And yeah, Ryan's father wanted to talk to me I'm guessing in the same way he talked to you. Apparently he doesn't have the slightest problem with anyone wanting to date his son. I suppose it's more my gender he has the problem with, not in the homophobic sense, as he gave me this lecture about not going anywhere alone with him and keeping my hands to myself and how men think more often than not with the wrong head, so I'd better watch myself. Pretty scary overall."

Troy gulped. "Yeah. I got that too."

"He didn't say much, but enough to give me the impression that Ryan and Sharpay have had a pretty hard and sheltered life, and that it's best to keep the entire family on the down low or some pretty bad people could come knocking."

"Yeah." Troy nodded emphatically.

"You need to talk to Sharpay," Sam said. "Seems like you jumped the gun a lot more than she did, and you're making some pretty big inferences. There's always more than meets the eye and I bet you there's a good reason behind why Sharpay said what she did. I mean, man, did you even notice how she looked like she was going to cry. Sharpay isn't the kind of girl who cries over nothing."

Troy shook his head, passing beakers filled with colored liquid and turning on the flame. "She won't talk to me. She said not to call her or go over to her house and I'm betting if I tried I might lose a few fingers, if I was lucky."

Sam began mixing the liquids together and seethed lowly to Troy, "Well, you better damn well find some way to fix this, because the bottom line is I can't go out with Ryan again until you're all disgustingly saccharin with Sharpay again. I got a rather nasty text from Ryan this morning informing me that if I didn't get you, Troy Bolton: a pathetic excuse for a human and overall lying sac of crap, to apologize to his sister and make up, that he'd boycott me for just as long."

Sam caught Troy by the front of his shirt and yanked him dangerously close. "You have any idea how long it took me to find someone I really liked? Ryan is the best damn thing that has happened to me in quite a while and if you don't fix this, Bolton, I will make it my personal mission to make your life a living hell the entire time I go without getting any." Sam took a deep breath and added so low that Troy nearly didn't hear him, "and do you know how close I am to getting some?"

Troy found himself abruptly released and staggered back on his stool.

"We crystal clear?" Sam asked, making a mark on his paper.

"Oh, yeah," Troy added, reaching for a beaker with a shaky hand. "Beyond." He began to pour the substance into the large, cylinder tube.

"And you might want to pay a little visit to Chad before you go see Sharpay. _Today_. He was just a little too pleased when he came back, and no one innocent ever looks like that right after his best friend's girlfriend up and disappears nearly crying."

Troy jerked towards him in shock, hand tipping the beaker forwards to spill the entire contents into the large tube and onto their lab table. The combination of too much liquid, over flow and the open flame created a large cloud of smoke and small flash of negative reaction before the liquid in the main tube began to rise up and overflow everywhere.

Naturally Sam jumped backwards, calling immediately for help, while Troy lost his footing and tumbled back over his stool. He collided hard with the floor and managed to hit his head roughly.

"Everyone stay calm!" the teacher commanded, rushing over with a extinguisher and safety gloves.

"_Today, Bolton," _Sam said, grabbing his backpack off the lab table and glaring at the ruined bag.

After making a quick trip the school nurse to have the back of his head checked out, where a large goose egg had swollen up, and a stop by the principal's office where he and Sam tried to explain what had gone wrong with the experiment, Troy caught up to Chad at lunch.

"Heard you blew up the lab!" Zeke exclaimed loudly the moment Troy sat down at his usual bench.

"Melted Sam's backpack down into nothing," Jason added.

"Set a kid on fire," Zeke continued.

"Really?" Kelsi asked, eyes wide. Next to her Taylor and Gabriella looked between Jason, Zeke and Troy with worried gazes.

"It was only a little mistake," Troy said feebly. "Added too much blue, not enough red and had the flame up a little too high. I just happened to be a little distracted. I didn't burn the lab down and I didn't set anyone on fire."

"Notice," Zeke said gruffly, "he didn't deny destroying Sam's backpack."

"Where is Sam?" Kelsi asked, a small blush covering her features.

"Don't even," Taylor said sharply. "Girl, don't you even go there. Never like a boy who'll never like you back for very serious, irrevocable reasons."

Troy popped open his soda. "I don't think Sam's real big on me right now. I think he went home for lunch, and to cool down."

"I'd be mad if you destroy my backpack," Jason said.

"I didn't destroy it," Troy said almost desperately. "The chemicals just kinda reacted badly to the fabric of the backpack and so it looks a little ragged and poka-doted. It's still a perfectly fine, functioning backpack."

"I hear the chemicals seeped in and totally killed all his notes and books," Zeke said, hiding behind a tuna sandwich.

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes. He meet Chad's amused look and said seriously, "We have to talk. Now." He gestured over to a mostly empty hallway off towards the gym.

"Why?" Chad asked, looking between his friends with a joking smile on his face.

"Chad," Troy said tersely. "Please."

"What's wrong with you today?" Zeke asked. "You've been uptight all day today."

"Have a fight with your parents?" Kelsi asked, despite how unlikely it probably was. Everyone knew Troy had the best relationship with his parents out of everyone.

"I'm a little stressed," Troy offered his friends. "Chad, before the hour is done, please."

Chad nodded and rose up out of his seat. He followed Troy into the hallway.

"What happened between you and Sharpay yesterday?" Troy asked abruptly, ignoring how taken aback Chad seemed. "You guys didn't seem to get along that well from the beginning, but everything was fine until you went off to get some drinks. She came back more than a little upset, almost crying, and I think there's something you're not telling me."

Chad nearly threw up his hands in frustration. "It figures you'd take her side over mine."

"Side?" Troy asked in confusion. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I just want to know why my girlfriend came back nearly crying."

"We've been best friends almost all of our lives," Chad confronted. "I've been there for you, man, whenever you needed me for whatever reasons. I have always had your back, and it just pisses me off, man, to know you're so egger to replace me like this."

Troy sucked in sudden air. "Is that what you think?" He leaned to the side and nearly smashed his shoulder into a row of lockers. "Why didn't you tell me you felt like that. Chad, I thought you were upset that I'd decided to break up with Gabriella and she's a friend of yours, and your girlfriend's best friend. Chad, I had no idea you felt like I was replacing Sharpay with you."

"I am upset over Gabriella," Chad argued. "She's everyone's friend, and a really good person. I don't see how you could ever conceive of replacing her with some girl who's loud, selfish and high maintenance, to say the least. I thought she was just going to be this fling when you told me about her, and I thought you'd get over it and realize how rare a gem Gabriella was, but she's got you so brainwashed you're lucky you know left from right."

"You don't know anything about Sharpay." Troy threatened, "And don't you ever say those things about her again."

"When you were dating Gabriella you always had time for me. We hung out all the time, and basketball was always the most important. We were still best friends, Troy."

"When did we stop being?" Troy pleaded desperately. "Chad, my relationship was much different with Gabriella because she was an entirely different person. She had different needs. You've dated plenty of girls. You know how different they all are. Gabriella was pretty independent. She was happy seeing me at school and once or twice over the weekend. Sharpay is another story. Her background makes her a bit more dependent. She's scared of losing people in her life and sometimes she can cling. And yeah, she takes up a lot of my time, but I never felt like I didn't have enough for you. I'm sorry you felt that way."

Thunder loud Chad replied, "She's a leech, Troy. If I'm your best friend you'll take what I say seriously. She's just going to drag you down. She'll ruin your grades, your relationships, your bank account and your life."

"And if you're my best friend," Troy said, "You'd be happy for me. You don't know the whole situation. You don't know Sharpay. You have all these opinions about Sharpay, based on who knows what, and none of them are true. And even if they were, don't you think I have the right to find out for myself? Do you think I'm a little kid who needs you to hold my hand for me? What I feel for Sharpay is something I can't even begin to explain to you, and I assure you it's a million times more than anything you could imagine. Chad, I love her, and no matter what you think of her or that love, you need to show some respect."

Chad breathed heavily, a bit red in the face. "The both of you are so stubborn. I told her and I'm telling you: it's only going to end badly and you're not right for each other."

"You told her?" Troy asked sharply. "What exactly did you tell her, Chad." Troy balled his fists and restrained himself from attacking the male next to him. "You were the reason she left. She came to me, upset for bringing you along because you told her that she had no place in my life, right? You're the reason she had tears in her eyes."

"I told her the truth."

"Damnit, Chad!"

Troy knew his voice had carried. People had stopped to look at him. He didn't care as he spun on Chad more angry than he'd ever been in his life.

"You had no right. No right. You say Sharpay is hurting me, but it's really you. I don't know if this is petty jealousy, or just your true colors, but I'm done with you. You can kiss this friendship goodbye."

Ignoring Chad's calls of protest Troy took off, backpack slapping against his back as he ran as fast as he could.

His mind whirled with his idiocy the previous day. He should have known on the spot that Sharpay was upset for a reason, and not simply because she hadn't gotten her way to have him to herself that day. He should have known better than to take Chad's side over hers, because there were always two sides to every story. He'd accused her of making him choose between two important people in his life, when in reality it had been Chad insinuating the choice.

Troy felt ashamed.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and as he traveled off campus Troy pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

"What?" he snapped, ignoring the grunt of annoyance on the other end of the line. "I talked to Chad, okay, and it blew up spectacularly in my face. I'm screwed. I can't talk now. I need to get to Sharpay's house as soon as possible."

"Where are you?" Sam asked.

"Uh, about a block from the school now, headed towards Walters Avenue."

"Get in."

"What?" Troy asked, nearly tripping over his feet as Sam screeched to a stop mere feet from him.

"Get in," Sam repeated over the phone, reaching across the car to pop the passenger door open.

Troy sat down at once, closing the door after him. "What about fifth period?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? The Evans are a lot more important to the both of us than our English class."

They made record time, only breaking the speed limit a few times. Sam threw the car into park and both he and Troy headed up to the main gate.

"You press the button," Troy said, indicating to the intercom.

Sam shook his head. "This is your mess, you push it."

Troy gulped and reached out for it. "Hi, it's Troy. I need to talk to Sharpay," he said awkwardly.

"Miss Evans is indisposed at the moment," a sharp male voice answered, one that Troy didn't recognized.

Sam pushed Troy aside and jammed his finger on the button. "This is Sam. You let us in right now, because we know she's not, or we'll hop this fence, and you're gonna have to send the dogs out after us if you want to stop us from talking to her."

When his finger was off the button Troy said concerned, "I think they have dogs."

"Good thing we run fast," Sam answered simply.

They waited for at least five minutes before the intercom crackled to life and Ryan said, "Alright, you can come in and talk to me."

It was progress to both males and moved forward as soon as the gate opened.

Ryan met them at the door and said, "If I like what you say you can talk to her. Be thankful our father isn't home right now. He might have had you shot."

Troy wasn't sure if Ryan was joking or not.

"I was an ass," Troy said suddenly. "What I said to Sharpay was inconsiderate and based on nothing more than an assumption and was completely wrong on every level possible. So I need to talk to Sharpay so she can berate me for being a total jerk, possibly forgive me, but knwo for sure what happened was in no way her fault."

Ryan looked over at Sam. "You're good. I expected he'd hold out for at least another day."

Sam shrugged. "What can I say. I'm a motivated man. Now where's my reward."

"You know where Sharpay's room is, right?" Ryan asked Troy.

The basketball star frowned. "Yeah. But I'm never allowed in there by myself."

"Fulton is lurking around here somewhere," Ryan said, fisting the material of Sam's shirt. "He'll keep an eye on you and your manners. I'm going to be a little busy to sit in and play chaperone."

Troy tried not to shift uncomfortably at Sam's toothy grin and the way Ryan pulled him up the stairs and presumably to his room with a certain glint in his eyes.

Troy knocked slightly on Sharpay's door and waited until the muffled voice behind it said he could enter.

"I told you not to come see me," Sharpay said, seated on her bed with a foot tucked under her. She put down a magazine and gave him her full attention.

"I know," he said slowly. "And I was going to give you space. In fact I was so angry I didn't want to see you for my own sake."

"But?"

"Sam clued me in to Chad, and when I cornered him I found out that he felt a lot different than I thought he did. I'd been pretty blind to his feelings, and I'm sorry, because that reflected back on you and you had to take a lot of stuff from him that you didn't deserve."

He dared to move a bit closer to her.

"So this is me; apologizing to you and admitting that I was an idiot to faithfully believe Chad couldn't have done anything to make you feel the way you did and an even bigger idiot for not insisting on finding out why you were so upset before launching an all out verbal attack. I was a big moron, probably bigger than I've ever been in my life before and I want you to forgive me. It will never happen again. I learned my lesson."

Sharpay regarded him carefully. "I'd never make you pick," she said slowly. "I know your other friends are as important to you as Ryan and I are. I know I can be pretty petty and selfish and thoughtless, but I'd never ask you to make that kind of choice, and that's what hurt the most."

Troy nodded. "It was probably the worst thing to accuse you of, I know. I swear I'll never make an accusation like that ever again."

"Well," Sharpay said, sighing deeply. "I suppose it's best to get the first real fight out of the way. That way we can move right on to the best part of fighting."

A dark blush settled over his features. "You forgive me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're terribly adorable, so it's pretty had not to. Plus, I know you, Troy Bolton, you'll punish yourself worse than I ever could." She motioned him over to the bed and when he was close enough pulled him down on top of her, capturing his lips in a searing kiss.

"Oh, yeah, best part," he confirmed.

They only managed a few more kisses before heavy pounding startled them, along with a voice that announced, "I don't hear anymore arguing or apologies, so someone had better get off the bed immediately and go back to school where he belongs."

Troy squinted at the door. "How does he do that?"

"It's what makes him so scary," Sharpay said, leaning up to steal a final kiss.

"Now!" the voice commanded again and Troy scurried off Sharpay.

"Still on for Saturday?" he asked her as he headed towards the door.

"Got a brand new bikini for the grand opening of the indoors water park."

Troy stumbled a bit as he reached the door.

Fulton gave him a dark look when he emerged from the bedroom, but said nothing about the previous day's incident and Troy was thankful.

"English class," Troy reminded Sam when he saw him already standing in the foyer of the large house.

"Yeah," the boy said with a dazed voice. He pushed a hand through his tousled hair.

"No more complaining," Troy said, taking in his friend's slightly swollen lips.

"You're one to talk," Sam said, pulling open the front door.

"I'm surprised, actually," Troy said happily as he climbed in Sam's car.

"Why's that?"

He answered honestly, "Well, with my track record this could have gone a whole lot worse."

"You are a strange kid," Sam said, starting his car and taking them back to school.


	16. Chapter 16

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy and the gang try to have a normal day, then the wrong person shows up to spoil that day.

Notes: I'm really rushing to get these parts out now, so I apologize if quite a few mistakes slip through, because I've got a lot of research papers coming up at the end of the month and I will write nothing but those very soon. Expect new chapters to be out every other day or so, and the sequel around mid to late November.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Sixteen:

Troy had to admit, he was becoming at least slightly accustomed to traveling with an entourage. At first he'd been anxious, and then unnerved, and never comfortable. Somehow having large men following his every move, and watching him with treats of impending violence if he did anything they didn't approve of, seemed to upset his stomach. And even when they did their best to blend in, Troy could never shake their glares. But then Fulton was a lot different than Henry and Harrison. He was far more easy going, personable and on more than one occasion seemed to be their own age, not more than a decade older.

He'd found some kind of common ground with the man, and they were under a nonverbal agreement that they both cared about Sharpay, wanted the best for her, and the both of them would step back when necessary to ensure said happiness. It was that agreement that Troy thought had them coming closer and closer to being friends, at least in the sense that Fulton was with the Evans twins. It also allowed for Troy to divert Fulton attention away from himself. Apparently he'd proven his intentions just enough to be allowed a bit of time alone with Sharpay, and it was Sam's turn for the interrogation.

"You seem happy," Sharpay said, looking over at him in amusement. "Thinking about me?"

He rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder at the white car following their own vehicle. "Thinking about how uneasy Sam looked when Fulton squished himself in the backseat of his car."

Sharpay giggled. "He did look a little nervous, didn't he?"

Troy took her hand in his own. "He took it well, though."

"At least he's not squished in-between us here," she said, moving closer to him, ignoring the seatbelt biting into her shoulder. "Because then I couldn't do this." She moved in quickly, pressing her lips to his." She turned slightly and he blushed when he felt her against him."

"Mom!" From the front seat of the car Teddy shouted loudly, turning red in the face. "They're doing it again!"

Troy looked away from Sharpay in an instance and caught his mother's gaze in the rearview window.

"It's still PG," she said, a smile tugging at her lips. "Call me when the rating goes up."

"Make them stop! Troy kissing Sharpay is nasty!"

"You're going to eat your words in about five years," Troy told him darkly, "and I'm going to remind you."

The kid's face scrunched up. "I like Sharpay and all, but I don't wanna kiss her."

Sharpay laughed as Troy snapped, "You're not kissing her. I meant you're going to want to kiss someone of your own soon."

Teddy huffed and crossed his arms, turning back to face the front in his seat.

"Keep it PG, too," his mother added. "Just because you don't have your usual babysitters with you back there, doesn't mean I'm not going to enforce the rules we agreed on."

"Sure, Mrs. Bolton," Sharpay said, sliding back towards the window.

"Hey, look, mom!" Teddy poked incessantly at the window. "There it is!"

For once Troy's eyes were as big as Sharpay's as he leaned across her lap to get a better look at the large structure that seemed to stretch on forever. "It's huge," he remarked. "I didn't think it was going to be this big."

"I thought you kids might enjoy this," his mother said. "Your Uncle said he took your cousin Leah there last week. It apparently has half a dozen slides, a wave pool, several smaller pools and even a beach environment."

"All inside there?" Troy asked.

"Yep," she confirmed. "It's all indoors and from what I've heard and an incredibly accurate replica of being outdoors. This is the first one here. They're all over Europe."

"It would have to be indoors in November," Sharpay said, tugging her jacket a little closer. Troy had no doubt she was wearing her bathing suit underneath, but he wasn't capable of seeing it yet, and Sharpay had made it fairly clear he wasn't getting any sneak peeks, much to his disappointment.

"I hear the roof opens almost completely in sections of the water park so the place can stay open during the summer and not overheat," his mother continued.

"I hope it's nice here," Troy said. "It's much closer than the other water park."

"I'm just happy I'm going to one," Sharpay said, nearly pressing her nose against the window to get a better look.

The park had only been open for a month or so but buzz had spread quickly enough that the group was caught in a fairly thick mess of traffic while attempting to park. However once they had managed it, Sam pulling into the spot next to them, they were able to step out of the cars and truly appreciate the water park of the feat it was.

"You okay," Troy asked Sam, slinging a towel over his shoulder.

"Yes," he said tensely. "We had a lovely conversation on the way here."

"Really," Troy asked. "Hmm. I got Henry and Harrison for the most part when I first started dating Sharpay. They glared at me a lot, but didn't say much. I guess Fulton really likes to talk."

Sam zipped his coat up a bit more when a cold breeze caught them. "Oh, yeah. You get to ride back with him."

Troy put an arm around Sharpay's shoulders. "No way. I paid my dues. It's your turn now."

The lobby where they paid admission, Fulton making himself useful and dragging their ice chest behind him, was a nice temperature, but still a little too cold for Troy to feel comfortable swimming in.

"I think it's a way of letting us adjust quicker," Sharpay said, drawing his attention to a guide board. It says we'll pass through a couple more rooms before we hit the inside of the water park.

Indeed each room they passed into seemed a bit more warm than the next. It was a pretty cool idea he thought, realizing it lessoned the risk of anyone having adverse reactions to radically different temperatures and potentially catching a cold.

"Meet you on the other side," Sharpay said with a small wave, heading towards the women's changing room.

"See you in a few minutes," he replied, one hand falling on Teddy's head to keep the kid with him and not rushing after his mom.

"I hear there's a slide five stories high," Sam said in the changing room, pulling his jacket and shirt off.

Next to him Ryan looked a little green in the face and said slowly, "Water slides aren't really my thing, or roller coasters. I can barely stand to drive fast on the freeway, actually."

"That's fine," Sam said in such a way that Troy thought he probably didn't care about sliding anything that large if it made Ryan uncomfortable. "We can always stick to the wave pool, or the beach, or the lazy river."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You go with Troy and have fun. Sharpay and I will be more than happy to lay out and pretend to get a tan." Troy looked over at him. "You didn't seriously think my sister was going to get on any of those slides with you, did you? She wouldn't chance getting her hair wet for anything less than a Gucci purse."

Troy shared a shrug with Sam.

"Troy," Teddy said, tugging on his arm. "You're gonna take me on the big slide, right?"

Troy chuckled nervously. "How about we ask mom first, buddy?"

"Move it along," Fulton said, emerging from around the corner in swim trunks and a Hawaiian shirt. "We've got places to be, girls to ogle."

"You're a pervert," Sam said point blank.

Fulton blinked at him. "Yeah?"

Troy tugged Teddy towards the entrance to the main portion of the park. "Come on, guys. Antagonize each other later."

Sharpay was already waiting with his mom when they emerged from the male changing room.

"Troy?" Teddy asked, looking up at him. "Why are you looking at Sharpay like that?"

Legs like jelly, Troy wordlessly made his way to her side, eyes wandering less than discreetly over her body that nicely filled out the pink bikini.

"I take it you approve?" she asked quietly, accepting a kiss from him on her cheek.

"So not thinking PG thoughts," he whispered in her ear. "You look hot."

"Totally the look I was going for," she said humorously, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

They took a spot in between the food court and the beach, finding a somewhat secluded area with several beach chairs and shade.

"You boys go have fun now," Troy's mother said, observing the look on her son's face.

"You sure you're going to be alright here by yourself?"

She smiled fondly. "That's very nice of you, but I'm perfectly fine, and far from alone."

At his mother's words he looked over at Sharpay who was perched on a beach chair, hunting around in her bag. "Looks like you've got a pedicure coming," he observed. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot more than I did."

Sam bent down slightly to kiss Ryan and then tugged on Troy's arm. "Come on, already. That thing is _so _five stories."

"Can I, mom?" Teddy asked, a pleading tone to his voice.

"It's no problem, mom," Troy said, looking to Sam for conformation. "He went down bigger ones at the other park."

"Just bring him back when you want," she said kindly, watching the three males scurry off at the affirmative.

Fulton settled back in his own chair, sunglasses pulled down over his eyes so he could observe the pretty women around him, while Sharpay and Troy's mother did their nails and Ryan appeared to be sunbathing under the artificial but authentic feeling lights.

They had lunch around noon, bringing all the chairs near in a sort of circle and spreading out the lunch they'd made at home. Sharpay sat next to Troy, attempting to handle a sandwich with delicate nails, only slightly complaining when Troy's wet side pressed up against hers.

Afterwards Troy managed to draw Sharpay near the lazy river after she declared that there was no way she was going anywhere near the slides or the beach, no matter how good the sand might feel between her toes or the rush of falling five stories might feel.

"I got us a tube," he said, stepping down and fighting the pushing current. "Here, you sit down and then we'll stay above water. And we can always get out at the next stop if you don't like it." He indicated to the river of water that covered the entire park's floor plan with several dozen exits.

She eased down into the tube and when she was fairly comfortable, he took the spot next to her.

They floated down the river in peace, hands locked together. It seemed most of the people were still eating lunch, or recovering from doing so before going back in the water, so they only had to contend with a few other people on the river. It was relaxing, and when Troy closed his eyes all he could feel was Sharpay next to him and a sense of serenity flushing over him.

"Things are going so well," Sharpay said softly next to him. "For the first time in my life things are going well. I'm almost afraid this is all a dream."

Troy opened his eyes and leaned over towards her. "With you in the bikini, it sure feels like it." His hand was on her knee, and when he wiggled his eyebrows at her there was faint blush on her face.

"Daddy has no clue I have this," she said, her hand on his, sliding it upward. "Kendall got it for me as soon as she heard you wanted to bring me here."

When his hand was on her stomach she leaned in close to him, pressing her lips to his strong jaw.

"Did I mention you look incredibly hot?" he repeated, fighting urges to bring his hand any higher.

He caught her jaw and kissed her soundly, tongue slipping between her lips. His hand rubbed her stomach softly and he lost himself in the moment.

"Troy," she said eventually, pulling back redder than he'd ever seen her before.

"Sorry," he apologized, pulling back to his side of the tube.

"Not that I minded," she said coyly, wiggling her own eyebrows at him. "But not in public. If word got back to daddy that we so crossed that PG line, you'd probably be castrated on sight."

Troy turned several shades of white.

"Okay, not in public," he agreed, "and especially not in that bikini."

She smiled and turned slightly to tuck a palm under her chin. "I'll wear it for you again, but how about in your bedroom with the door shut and your parents not home."

Troy wondered when that was ever going to happy, and prayed it was soon. He'd known eventually his relationship with Sharpay was going to turn physical as soon as they were comfortable with each other, however little or much was of no consequence. And now that it was clear they were ready for a little more than simple kisses, Troy felt a fire inside him that seemed to eat away at him.

They spent another fifteen minutes on the river until it cycled all the way back around and then emerged with the need for some cool ice cream. "It's wicked hot in here," Troy said, hoisting the tube out of the water. "They really got the temperature right in here. It's hard to imagine how cold it is outside."

Sharpay took Troy's hand as they returned the tube to the rental shop and headed off towards the main food court.

"Troy?"

The sound of Gabriella's voice caught Troy off guard and caused him to falter in his steps. He stood still, Sharpay still attached to his side and turned slowly, seeing Gabriella, Taylor and Kelsi in bathing suits behind him.

"Gabriella," Troy said breathy, stomach dropping out from under him. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a public place. I'm swimming with my friends. What are you doing here?" The _with her _was implied.

"He brought me," Sharpay shot back, her grip on his arm tightening. A warning flashed in Troy's mind at once. "We're on a date." Troy flinched.

Gabriella sputtered a little. "A date?"

"That's what two people do when they like each other," Sharpay responded blandly.

Troy could see it all in Gabriella's eyes in a second. The girl hadn't needed any time to link Sharpay's presence in his life and her own dismissal.

"How long have you been dating?" Gabriella asked, shrugging the hand off her shoulder that Taylor put there comfortingly.

"I don't see how that's any business of yours," Sharpay said.

Almost brokenheartedly Gabriella said, "I thought you said we could get back to together in a little while. That you just needed a break, Troy, and there wasn't any other reason."

Sharpay let go of his arm. "You told her what?"

"I'm sorry," he said desperately. "Gabby, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Gabriella crossed her arms. "So you just decided to string me along? Let my feelings for you only continue to grow all the while there was no chance we'd ever be getting back together? I mean there isn't, right?" She gave a disapproving look to Sharpay.

Troy hung his head.

"You said she was just a friend," Gabriella accused. "When she came to your house in the rain, and I helped you take care of her, you said she was just a friend."

Sharpay thankfully stayed quiet as Troy said, "I didn't know what to do. You don't understand how I was feeling. I knew I loved Sharpay almost at once. I really thinks she's my soul mate, but I still cared so much for you, and I didn't want to hurt you by letting you think you'd been replaced."

"But I have."

Sharpay bit her tongue, latching back onto Troy's arm.

"I should have told you. I'm sorry. Gabriella, I'm so sorry."

"Friends above all else," she said darkly, "wouldn't do this to each other. Friends are honest with each other, no matter how much it hurts."

"Gabriella."

She balled her fists and glared angrily at the pair in front of her. "As far as I'm concerned, Troy Bolton, that means we're not friend anymore. And I don't go to dances with people who aren't my friends, or eat lunch with those people, or talk to them in class." She turned on heel and strode away, back tense and telling.

"You're a jerk," Taylor said strongly. "A real ass, Troy." She glared at Sharpay. "And you're a whore." She ran off after Gabriella, Kelsi trailing after both girls.

Troy took a deep breath. He reached around to catch Sharpay's hands on his arm and squeezed gently. "You're not," he told her gently. "And I'm sorry she said it to you. This is my mess and you shouldn't have to deal with stuff like that."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I know I'm not, and you don't need to apologize. They really don't understand how you felt, and even I don't really, but it sounds complicated, and I don't think you can fault a person for being confused. You always have someone else's wellbeing in mind, and you don't get thrown under the bus because for once in your life you were a little selfish and thought of yourself."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know you're going to beat yourself up over this, and there's probably nothing I can say to make you feel better, but how about we both pretend like this didn't happen for the sake of your brother."

"Teddy?" Troy asked her.

She pointed. "Here he comes."

"Mom says you have to buy my ice cream too!"

Troy smiled almost genuinely. "No way, brat. You have to watch Shar and I eat it, but you can't have any. Only good little brothers get ice cream."

At Teddy's wail Sharpay bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Don't you worry, Teddy, I'll get you some in whatever size you like."

"Two scoops?" he asked, taking her hand and pulling her towards the ice cream shop.

"Come on," Sharpay said, holding out her hand to Troy even as Teddy dragged her away. "I'll get you some too."

He murmured, "My hero," to her when he was close enough to take her hand.

"I try," she said, smiling wide and bright, and Troy felt just a little better.


	17. Chapter 17

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Troy's world comes crashing down, and he may have lost everything and everyone.

Notes: This chapter was slightly delayed due to the fact that I was distracted by a FMA fanfic I'm writing and I forgot about it. Yeah. Sorry.

Warnings: mature content, violence.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Seventeen:

Troy hadn't noticed until recently, but they were getting pretty bold-all of them. It wasn't as if Troy had forgotten about the looming threats, or impending trouble, but he'd almost been desensitized to the idea of it. Maybe it was that they'd yet to have a brush with danger. Troy didn't dispute Sharpay's words about the seriousness of her situation, but for each day he dated her nothing happened, and there was no risk to himself or his family. For such things he was grateful, but almost lulled into a false sense of security.

They went to far more public places as well. Troy couldn't speak for Ryan and Sam, who seemed to do their own thing far more than stick with the group, much to Sharpay's annoyance at times (she said it wasn't separation anxiety, but he wasn't buying it), but for himself he felt more comfortable exposing her to an ever growing amount of people. Weeks passed and they moved from libraries to theme parks. From the movies to the community center's weekly dance competition. They took picnics in the park, not their backyards and with the ever faithful Fulton trailing behind them, ventured onto public transportation.

Sharpay said it was because her father was distracted and worried. She said normally he'd have been paying much closer attention, but Troy wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Every moment that he got to spend with Sharpay in natural environments was a blessing. It felt so good, especially after his disastrous encounter with Gabriella, to be able to hold her hand in public and just stroll down the street like they were normal.

It was almost so normal that Troy had begun seriously thinking about their future.  
Sharpay was only sixteen, Troy's own sixteenth birthday wasn't for another five weeks or so, but he couldn't help lying awake some nights wondering where they'd be in ten years, or even five. They wanted to go to college together for sure. Sharpay's private tutoring more than qualified her for whatever college she applied to, and Troy was holding out serious hope on a scholarship. He had no doubt in his mind that Sharpay would be happy at any State school that accepted him with his grades, but he wanted so much more for her in whatever field she wanted to study and he wanted to be able to give it to her.

He knew for sure he'd be asking her father for permission to marry her in less than ten years. They'd buy their own home before they were thirty, a white or light blue house out on one of the coast states, like California, where they could feel the sea breeze in their faces every morning they woke up and night before they went to bed. They'd fight and probably threaten each other with divorce, but never mean it and eventually have a kid or two.

Troy would never admit it to anyone, but he couldn't wait to hold a squirming blond baby in his arms with his nose and Sharpay's soft features. He wanted a family with her more than he'd ever wanted anything else in his life. He wanted to create children with her, and raise them doing his fare share of the diaper changing and skinned knee patching. He wanted to see them off to school on their first day, and drive them personally out to college and write out the first tuition checks. He wanted to have grandchildren and grow old with Sharpay. He wanted to deal with her fickle nature for the rest of his life.

But, he reminded himself as often as necessary, he was only fifteen, no matter how mature. He was only a high school sophomore who was dating, not marrying, a sixteen year old teenager. The future was nice to look forward to, but he needed to ground himself in the present so there was a future. And that meant being careful and not getting careless.

Naturally the revelation came to him about being a bit more strict in his and Sharpay's behavior in public while they were in a place as public as possible.

His brother's birthday had snuck up upon himself and Sharpay almost suddenly, and in what had seemed like a stroke of genius at the moment, they'd formulated a plan to take the kid to his favorite place; the zoo. Teddy's focus lately had been on animals and not aliens thankfully, and he seemed endlessly fascinated with National Geographic channel on television, one of the few channels their mother let them watch nearly as much as they wanted. So they were going to take him, especially since Troy's parents had been so busy lately they hadn't had the time and the zoo season was just about to end.

It was a hard sell, naturally, but Troy was far more manipulative than he liked to admit to. He somehow managed to talk his parents into letting himself and Sharpay (and Fulton) take Teddy to the Zoo the Sunday before his birthday by themselves. He charmed them as best they could, half expecting to get no where, but when a dash of guilt was added in they caved.

"You asked your father, right?" Troy had asked Sharpay several days before the event. "He isn't going to go psycho on me if he finds out I took his little girl to the zoo without a contingent?" The serious tone in his voice conflicted with comical words.

"I did," she assured him. "I may have done it conveniently as daddy was arguing with Ryan about Sam, but I clearly stated our plans and he said it was fine."

Troy was sure she'd probably mumbled it to him, tugging on her father's arm annoyingly and the man had agreed in order to avoid dealing with her. Sharpay was an artist when it came to getting her way with certain tactics. Troy had learned how to avoid several of them, but if her father was any indication there'd be no learning them all ever.

"I thought he was okay with Sam," Troy said. "As much as he can be with anyone dating either of his kids."

"Oh, he is. He's just really suspicious of their relationship right now. My brother has been taking a leaf from my book, apparently. From what I hear, not that Ryan ever talks to me anymore," she added in a huff, "Ryan and Sam have gotten really good at avoiding Fulton or Harrison or Henry. They disappear for hours at a time and they're never where they're supposed to be. I guess daddy chalked it up to teenage rebellion at first, but I know lately he's thinking there is something much more going on."

Troy's eyebrows furrowed. "Like what."

Sharpay deadpanned at him.

"Oh!" he said. "He does?"

Sharpay said, "You wouldn't think it to look at him, but Ryan's got a mouth on him. When he gets mad things come out that shouldn't and he's dropped one too many hints that he and Sam have gotten really personal lately. Really personal."

Troy rubbed the back of his head. "Aren't they a little young for that. I mean, how personal are we talking?" Because in the world of teenagers there was personal and then there was _personal_ and that was a whole different ballpark.

Sharpay shrugged. "He's my brother. I really don't want to think about it, but suffice to say, they're acting more on impulse than intelligence."

"I hope they're being careful," Troy cautioned.

"Don't insult my brother," Sharpay said. "He may be doing a lot of things that he probably should be at his age, or at least his mentality level, but he's no idiot. And if he wasn't being extra careful before he sure is now, after the lashing that daddy gave him about the consequences."

Troy couldn't imagine what a sex education lecture from Sharpay's father would sound like. A shiver passed over his frame at the mere thought. At least there was no danger of either Ryan or Sam getting pregnant. He couldn't say the same with himself and Sharpay, which was another consequence of more than a little heavy petting that he didn't want to go near for the time being.

"But I'm not a hypocrite," she added. "Ryan and Sam are only doing what I want us to do eventually."

He heard her clear. It wasn't a matter of trust. They trusted each other explicitly, but they were both innocent. That kind of a step never needed to be taken until both parties were ready, and they both weren't. The other kids are school might have been indulging themselves like crazy, and Troy was even a bit envious of their activities, but he wanted that moment with Sharpay to be perfect, and he wouldn't settle for anything less.

Sometime later, with Fulton driving and Sharpay and Troy sitting in the backseat comfortably, they headed to the zoo with Teddy in the front seat asking Fulton endless questions.

"You really had a pet alligator?" the boy asked the bodyguard, eye so wide they seemed to be straining.

"You bet I did," the man confirmed, "but then my sister found it where I'd hid it and that was the end of that. I got spanked something fierce for that, but it was totally worth it."

"Where was that?" Teddy asked, and next to Troy Sharpay laughed silently with a knowing grin.

"In her bed."

Teddy squealed with laughter. "If I had a sister I'd put on in her bed too!"

Troy was suddenly very thankful he was male, though eventually Sharpay would be his sister by law if Troy had any say. Sharpay seemed to be on the same wavelength as she added, "If any and I mean any alligators end up in my bed at any time in my life, yours will be over."

Teddy stuck his tongue out at her in good fun.

They arrived at the zoo only a bit after it opened, avoiding lines and crowds.

"Kid," Fulton said, drawing him to the side as Sharpay paid their way into the park. They'd agreed that she'd pay admission, he'd pay for the lunch and snacks, and they'd split Teddy's present at the gift shop.

"What?" Troy asked, catching the serious tone.

"Sharpay's father is distracted right now. Mr. Evans is doing his best to keep his family together and alive, and he's overlooking the little stuff, like agreeing to let his daughter come to a place like this. I don't think this is a smart move and I got a bad feeling something is going to go wrong today, so stay on your feet. You keep your eye on her all day today."

The man stood stone faced as he engaged Troy, not a hint of playful nature in his posture or tone.

"Things in general are about to get risky, so you need to know a few things." Fulton dug into his pocket and retrieved a key ring. He pointed to each of the three keys on it. "Listen up. This big one is the car key. It's a universal key. It'll start whichever car my boss has, and in an emergency you have formal permission to take Sharpay and her brother and get the hell away from a dangerous situation."

"I only have my permit," Troy stuttered. "And I've only logged a couple hours."

"You play video games?"

Troy nodded.

"Then it isn't rocket science. You'll get it right in a pinch, when someone's life depends on you."

"The other keys?" Troy asked.

"The house key. The code of the main gate cycles randomly every couple of days, so you'll have to hop that if necessary, but this key will get you into the house. Not the front door, mind you, but the backdoor. There's a security system to disarm once you go through that door, but if you're using the key it won't really matter if you can't shut off the alarm."

Troy nodded, venturing a look back over to Sharpay. A thousand horrific instances ran through his mind of actually needing to break into her home to rescue her from some evil fate.

"You know the Alleycat, the bowling alley we went to a few weeks ago?" Fulton asked. "This last key is to a locker there. It's 186A. If all else fails, and I'm talking end of the world kind of events, you go get what is in there and you take Sharpay and Ryan and however else you have with you and you run."

"What's in there?" Troy asked breathy.

"Protection," Fulton said simply. "You won't need any of these keys as long as I'm around, but if I'm not, or I specifically tell you, then you'd better do what your guts tells you, because you've gotta good head on your shoulders."

Rushed, noticing that Sharpay was nearly finished, Troy asked, "Is something wrong? You never mentioned any of this before. Not even a hint that this was coming."

There was an odd look on Fulton's face that Troy interpreted as newfound trust. Apparently Troy had only just reached a level sacred trust with the man.

"There's been chatter," Fulton said tersely. "No names--there wouldn't be, but someone is on the move for information, at least where I get mine, and they're saying some stuff I don't like. Just stay on your toes. I told you already, I have a bad feeling."

"All ready to go?" Sharpay asked, appearing at their side with Teddy next to him.

Fulton handed him the keys discreetly and Troy pocketed them, thankful Sharpay hadn't noticed.

"I want to see the lions," Teddy reminded them. "Before the penguins."

Troy rolled his eyes and took the ticket Sharpay offered him. "Just remember what mom said."

The boy sighed and he repeated in a monotone, "Stay next to you. Don't wander off on my own. Don't talk to people I don't know. Don't take any chances. Don't annoy people. Don't remove my clothing. Don't--"

"That's good enough," Troy said.

"Is there a reason that last one was in there?" Sharpay asked.

Troy shook his head. "You so don't want to know."

By the time lunch rolled around, despite Fulton's bad feelings, things had gone along splendidly. They'd managed to see just under half of the zoo, and several animal shows. They all seemed to be having a good time, enjoying the atmosphere and entertainment, and for being November the weather had stayed at least mildly warm and sunny.

"What do you want for lunch, kid?" Troy asked his brother as they strolled towards the food court. "Pizza or hamburgers?"

"Hot dogs!"

Troy shrugged, turning to Sharpay and Fulton. "What do you guys want? Teddy and I will get the food. You guys grab the table."

Fulton shrugged, seemingly distracted, while Sharpay said, "That place over there looks like it has a nice chicken salad. Get that for me, will you? And a big bag of chips. Daddy never lets us have chips."

"No problem," Troy replied. "I'll get a couple different kinds."

The moment the brothers were gone Sharpay turned to Fulton and asked, "How bad is it?"

"You may have been made," he said seriously.

She gasped. "How?"

"That's what we're trying to find out right now. There could be a leak. We don't know for sure, but once you get home don't expect to leave again for a while."

Sharpay nodded softly, eyes trying to seek out Troy in the mass of people. "I'll have to leave him if we are. I won't get to tell him, either. It will hurt him so much."

Fulton said nothing, scanning the crowd suspiciously.

They rode the elephants after lunch, Teddy in the front, with Sharpay and Troy behind her, holding each other's waists. Sharpay complained terribly about the smell, but Troy could tell she was actually enjoying herself, being so high off the ground. They posed for a picture, of which Sharpay bought several for them all, and headed off to see the rest of the park.

"Hey, look Teddy," Troy pointed out in front of the monkey habitat, "You're home."

Teddy glared at him. "I'm gonna tell mom. You're supposed to be nice to me on my birthday."

"Oh, pipe down, Theodore it isn't your birthday yet," Troy said, ruffling the kid's hair. "I'm only messing with you. How about I buy you some ice cream?"

"Can you take me, Sharpay?" Teddy asked.

"Sure," she said, winking at Troy. "I'll take you away from your mean, awful, horrible big brother."

"Said brother who is buying the ice cream," Troy said, handing over some money.

"We'll be right back," she said, taking Teddy's hand in hers. Troy still found it amazing his little brother let her hold his hand. He was at that stage where he didn't want to anymore, and especially fought against girls touching him.

Troy was leaning over the edge of the barrier between himself and the much lower habitat when his hearing left him and the ground shook. He nearly toppled over into the habitat, only just managing to anchor himself against the railing as a series of explosions followed the initial one that had caught him off guard.

Around him his ears strained to recover from the almost sonic pulse unleashed with the explosions, and adapt to the frenzied and panic screams of families and animals around him.

Smoke clouded his vision almost at once and it was only when he had difficulty seeing the animals down below him that he realize how close the explosions had actually been. Debris rained down on him and he coughed, finding it hard to breathe.

Then the panic passed in one swift moment and his mind caught up to him. He turned towards the direction he thought Sharpay and his younger brother had gone, though he wasn't sure because he was incredibly disorientated, and realized the dust and fragmented air had yet to clear.

To his side he could just made out the retreating figure of Fulton, a pistol in his hand, and Troy ventured if anything the direction the man was heading was the direction he'd find the two people he sought desperately. The gun scared him deeply, but he accepted the fact that in the current situation the man was only being careful.

He stumbled along in the chaos, people smashing into him often so roughly he lost his footing and careened onto the hard, unforgiving ground. He couldn't see Fulton anymore and didn't even know if he'd gotten turned around and was heading back to where he had come from.

He tried to call out his little brother's name, feeling only marginally guilty that the boy occupied his mind far more than Sharpay. He rationalized, in the few moments he had of clear thinking before the smoke permeated his brain and made it impossible, that Teddy was his baby brother. He was the little guy Troy had nursed side by side with his mother when he was so sick he nearly died. He'd changed his diapers, given him baths and told him endless stories at bedtime. He was helpless, at least to some degree, and Troy couldn't trust his wellbeing to anyone else. Sharpay he loved, without a shadow of a doubt, but he was certain she could take care of herself. Teddy needed him a lot more than she did.

He felt a sense of victory when he tripped over a chair he remembered being placed out in front of the ice cream vendor. The smoke was clearing and he was able to get a better sense of his surroundings, almost wishing he hadn't.

Then he tripped again, his knees and palms already bloody and rough from falling enough times before. He was almost numb to the pain, scrambling to get back to his feet when a hand caught his ankle and he fell back to the ground.

Troy choked a little, recognizing the man holding his ankle. "Fulton!" he said, voice hoarse and dry. "What's wrong?" It blew his mind to see the strong man lying on the floor, motionless aside from the hand clinging to Troy.

Then he saw the blood.

"Oh my god." Troy's hands went at once to the man's chest, hands instantly dyed red from the blood on the man's front. Don't move," he said frantically, feeling the dampness grow with every pump of the man's heart. "I think you've been shot. Don't move." He looked away from the man, and called at the crowd around him, "Someone call an ambulance!" Blood smeared people looked back.

"How'd you get shot?" Troy asked, applying as much pressure to Fulton's chest as he could manage.

The man said nothing, concentrating on breathing, his eyes slipping shut.

"Come on, stay with me here," Troy pleaded.

His eyes wandered again, looking from the dying man to the arena around him. He could see the first fires and the people trying desperately to put them out, and the raw damage from the explosions in the form of demolished buildings. Around him there were people bleeding, some mild and some not to lucky, and nearest him there were a few bodies.

"Wake up!" Troy demanded, shaking Fulton a little, hoping the pain would jar the man back awake. "Where's Sharpay? Where's my little brother? What in the hell is going on?"

Only Fulton's silence and the screams of other echoing answered him.


	18. Chapter 18

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: Wherein Troy monologues, bad guys are revealed, sides are taken and bonds are broken.

Notes: Extremely late due to the last midterms, papers and work. I make no excuses. Those always come first. Also, I've had quite a bit of trouble with the ending of this fic and this chapter in general. I've rewritten it no less than three times, I'm still not sure if I like the direction I decided to go with it. I've never felt so unsettled by anything I claim to have complete control over, and that's rather disconcerting.

Warnings: mature content, violence.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Eighteen:

Troy slipped easily enough into Fulton's hospital room, all too aware that he only managed the feat due to the chaos around him. Expectedly, the hospital was working at full capacity and more than a little frantically. Despite being on the scene Troy hadn't taken especially close looks at the people around him, but passing down the halls on the way to Fulton's room he'd seen more than one person who'd never be physically the same.

Troy had never imagined that the people after Sharpay and her family would move in such a public arena. He'd truly though they'd go after the Evans in a more private setting where they wouldn't risk being seen, but then again with all the mayhem around the zoo after the explosions Troy hadn't seen anything himself.

But to hurt so many people just to get to Sharpay was beyond comprehension for Troy.

When Troy was safely in Fulton's hospital room he held his breath. He hadn't truly thought the man was even going to make it into the care of doctors, at least at the rate he was bleeding and how unresponsive he was. Troy was convinced he'd be attending a funeral for him far too early.

"Fulton?" he called softly, moving closer to the bed but not really expecting an answer. "You were right. Really bad feelings clearly mean really bad things happening. We should have just gone home right away, and then Sharpay and Teddy and Ryan wouldn't be missing." He sighed deeply. "Yeah, Ryan's missing. I just heard from my parents. They don't know I'm here, so they're probably freaking out right now, but I had to come see you with my own eyes--to make sure you're okay. Mom and Dad heard from Sharpay's father that they can't find Ryan. He and Sam are kind of known for dropping off the face of the planet for hours at a time, even days, but Ryan isn't answering his cell phone and that's really bad, because he always answers calls from his dad's personal cell."

Troy sat at the chair next to Fulton's bed and leaned forward on the bed, looking at the ashen man. "They think whoever got Sharpay and Teddy got him too, and probably Sam. Clearly they don't have a problem taking people who're with their targets. I'm really worried for Sam, probably the most. Sharpay and Ryan are collateral. They're probably going to be relatively safe from the moment at least, and Teddy's just a kid, but even more the Police Captain's nephew, and the nephew of a federal agent. Our uncles are leverage. Teddy is smart. He'll know to let that slip at the right moment and play it as an advantage. Sam doesn't have any of that."

He leaned forward to rest his forehead on the bed's somewhat coarse blanket. "How'd you get shot? Fulton, there were explosions, and you had a bullet in you, two even. Who shot you? Did you get to Sharpay and Teddy in time and someone took you out?" It scared Troy to think someone could have gotten the upper hand on Fulton enough to shoot him twice.

"I'm not sure what to do," Troy told the silent man desperately. "Mr. Evans and my parents are here with my Uncle and a bunch of his best police officers. They don't know what to do either, and they're just arguing a lot. They just wanted to know what I saw and then they started arguing about what to do with me. Henry's gone missing too. He was trailing Ryan, or at least trying to and now he isn't responding. Mr. Evans thinks he isn't for a reason. They're probably still arguing about that."

"I hope we're friends. I consider you a friend. I wish you were awake to tell me what to do. You always know. You're a good friend like that."

Troy sniffed a bit, feeling his eyes water. "I think I'm going to lose everyone."

The heart monitor next to the bed picked up. It was nothing drastic and it didn't call the attention of a nurse, but it was enough for Troy to pick up.

"What?" he asked, pressing the palm of a hand into his right eye to wipe away the moisture.

The heartbeat spiked again and Troy reached for Fulton's hand. He squeezed it warmly.

"I know you're in a spot, and you can't exactly tell me anything, but you have to give me more than that. I don't know if you want more morphine or if you're dying to tell me who did this to you. Aww, Fulton, I don't even know if you can hear me or understand what I'm saying. I think I actually hope you can't hear me. You should be resting."

He took a calming breath. "But if you can hear me, you'll be happy to know you're going to be just fine once they take you out of the medically induced sleep. You're going to heal right up. There's a chance your heart had a little too much strain trying to keep you alive until help arrived, and maybe you won't be running any marathons, but if you fight off infection you're going to make it. And we all really need you to make it. So please get better."

And it was then that he realized Fulton wasn't going to have any answers for any of them for a long time. No one was going to come to the rescue. His parents and his uncle and Mr. Evans were only going to argue amongst themselves as precious time passed. If anything was going to happen Troy had to make it.

He could suddenly feel the keys in his pocket.

His family and Mr. Evans were still arguing in the lobby, Harrison looming behind Sharpay's father protectively, when he made his appearance.

"Troy!" his mother said, eyes landing on him.

His stomach bottomed out a little when he realized she'd only just noticed him, and not his disappearance. He understood now that he wasn't around Sharpay that no one would pose a real threat to his person, and Teddy was in the hands of maniacs and he was the main focus, but Troy thought just maybe his parents would be keeping a better eye on him just in case. He almost thought them bad parents for losing a second child and not realizing it.

"You stay in my line of sight," Troy's Uncle said sharply, putting an arm around him. "I'm not going to lose you too."

Troy felt a flush of warmth and gave a faint smile to the man. "Thanks Uncle Pete."

The Police Chief gave a nod. "No problem, sport."

"You should have told us the severity of the situation," Troy's father said loudly, nearly barking the words out at Mr. Evans, and Troy jumped a little feeling shame. He didn't need to look at his mother to feel her eyes on him. She knew that he had known and hadn't told her, even though she'd even him adequate time.

"I told you to keep your boy away from my daughter," Sharpay's father shouted back, thrusting a finger at Troy.

Troy felt a rush of anxiety. He had to get away. He knew what he had to do. He needed to find his brother and Sharpay and he couldn't do it in a hospital lobby.

"We should be out looking for them," Troy tried finally, hoping for a little help. "Not standing here arguing."

"Do you know where my children are?" Mr. Evans asked him darkly. "If you do then by all means tell us and we'll go look."

"We should be trying every abandoned building and dark alley," Troy shot back. "It doesn't matter if we don't know where to look as long as we look everywhere."

His mother said softly, "Someone needs to take him home, or to my sister's house."

The adults looked between themselves, unsure of who could go. Troy's parents needed to stay at the hospital because Mr. Evans was there, and Pete Bolton needed to stay because his nephew was missing and the only man who might have an idea about what happened was lying in a hospital bed. Nor could the police chief spare any of his men at the moment.

"Harrison, you take him wherever he needs to go," Sharpay's father said suddenly.

Harrison scowled harder than usual. "I shouldn't leave your side. The threat to you is still too great."

The older man rolled his eyes. "I'm standing next to the chief of police. I think I'll be fine until you get back. The boy can't stay here while we talk, and he can't go by himself. Take him home and then come back. I'll be here."

Troy endured a long hug from his mother and a pat on the back from his uncle before scurrying after Harrison.

"You know where the bowling alley is?" Troy asked, sliding into the backseat and barely closing the door as Harrison peeled out of the parking lot. "I need to go there instead. Don't worry, you can tell my mom whatever she wants to hear and I can take care of myself, but I need to go there instead of my aunt's house. Head towards the Ice Cream shop Sharpay first took me to."

They'd only gone along for less than a minute when Troy interrupted their silence with, "No, we need to go the opposite direction."

The doors to the SUV locked softly and dread welled up in Troy's chest. "What's going on?"

"Do you know how long we had this entire rouse going?" the suit clad man asked Troy. "Do you have any idea how long it took to earn that old man's trust?"

"What did you do with my little brother and Sharpay?" Troy asked sharply. He kept as calm as he could manage, despite the rage boiling in him. He was all too aware of the gun that was now peeking out at him and how dispensable he truly was.

"They're both alive," the man grunted out. "That's all you need to know. Cooperate and they'll stay that way for a while."

"You were supposed to protect her," Troy said seething. "She's just a teenager. You were supposed to be the one to make sure she didn't get hurt. That the bad guys didn't get to her. You weren't supposed to be one of the bad guys.

Harrison gave a deep laugh. "What, boy? You think I just rolled out of bed one morning and decided I was going to start terrorizing people. I was pushed into this."

"People let themselves get pushed into hurting others. It doesn't happen without their consent. You aren't innocent."

Troy tried to keep an eye on the surroundings, truly unaware of where they were going.

"You think that bastard Evans thought a day about my needs?"

Troy clenched his fists. "How can you be so selfish? I know Sharpay's father pays very well. He's accommodating to his staff, and unbelievably understanding if Fulton's situation is any example. He may be a little tough on the outside, but he cares about everyone in his life and he's only doing the right thing. You have no right to take his children away from him. No right to hand them over to a mad man who'll kill them and give them back in little pieces even after he gets what he wants. You do realize you've sentenced Sharpay to death, right? And my little brother, who's nothing but innocent and a sweet kid who doesn't deserve anything but to be taken care of."

"She's a little brat," Harrison snapped, "her brother too, but mostly her. A spoiled little brat and if she gets what's been a long time coming, then it's no burden off my back."

"I love her," Troy said, gulping hard. "I know you're skeptic like every other adult in our lives, but I truly do love her. I want to marry her one day. I want to have kids with her and grow old with her and I never want to spend another day of my life without her. I need her. I love her."

"You think I don't love my wife?" Harrison asked, head whipping around and gun jerking enough to make Troy ever more nervous. "She's a woman a million time better than Evans's brat Sharpay, and I won't let her be hurt."

Troy leaned forward a little. "This Gideon guy, is he threatening her too?" Harrison said nothing. "Please, work with me here."

"Stop talking," Harrison bit out. "You're not weaseling out of this. You're not saving your girlfriend. I'm doing what it takes and I'm getting paid pretty well, too. I fail to see a downside."

"You're a good person," Troy said finally. "You're pretty grouchy, and I admit, I'm really scared of you and what you could do to me, but I can still see you're a good person. I'm sure you have a reason for being pushed into this. I bet Gideon is threatening your wife. I bet he told you he'd pay you a lot of money if you betrayed the Evans and when you wouldn't, he moved onto threatening. That doesn't make you a bad person. That just makes you a person backed into a corner. People aren't stuck in corners."

"You just shut your mouth, boy," the angry man snapped again. He gave a harsh laugh. "Or go ahead and run it. In fact maybe you should get it out of your system right now, considering it's the last your probably going to get to say for a while."

The shudder that passed through Troy's body was worse than he'd ever felt before in his life. He'd somewhat expected he'd lost his life the moment he'd gotten into the car. He figured Harrison was driving them out to some ditch for one purpose and one purpose alone. But the confirmation was almost too much.

"You should think about your wife. How's she going to feel when she finds out? You may be able to keep it from her now, and I'm sure you think you can go on keeping it from her, but eventually the truth comes out, and you have to think about what kind of a person she's going to think you are when it does. Everything comes out after a while. If you love her you'd be more than a little worried about what she'd think of you."

"I couldn't give a damn about her feelings," Harrison shot back. "She can go on being miserable for the rest of her life, as long as she keeps on breathing and delivers a healthy baby."

"Baby?" Troy asked softly.

"I got a hell of a lot riding on this going the way I need it to."

"So maybe I can't say anything that'll change your mind," Troy said with a deep exhale. "I'm figuring that out right now. A man has to put his family first." As he spoke he shifted to the side, finger going down to his seatbelt and unlatching it. He kept it held in place so Harrison couldn't tell he'd undone it, but began sliding a bit to the middle of the car. "And I'm just doing what you're doing," Troy said finally, flinging his seatbelt the side and flying forward faster than lightening. His fist connected with Harrison's jaw in a second, but he jerked back as the gun went off, a bullet flying past his head too close for comfort.

He heard Harrison curse, and in a second Troy made his decision, grabbing the steering wheel and wrenching it as hard as he could to the right. The car wobbled for a second before rolling, Troy finding himself on the roof of the ceiling due to a lack of seat bet.

By the time the car righted itself Troy was squished down behind the passenger seat, head spinning and all too aware of the shards of glass on his clothing. Faintly he realized the windows had cracked at some point and a few had shattered. And there on the seat he had been sitting on was the gun in all of its horror.

He snatched it up at once, despite never having held a gun, let alone seen one other than when his Uncle gave him the gun safety lecture. It was a heavy and unnatural weight in his hands and he hated it at once, but it was his salvation and he pulled the hammer back, almost crying in joy at the sound of the gun cocked and ready to fire.

"I'm not losing my brother," he said in a voice he barely recognized as his own. He pointed the gun as steadily as he could manage at the man coming around in the driver's seat, a bloody gash across his forehead. "Now I don't want to shoot you, and I've never shot anyone before, but that really doesn't mean I can't do it if I have to. Sharpay and Teddy are my life, like your wife and baby are yours."

His back was killing him, he could barely breath properly, and yet he made no attempt to move. He had the advantage and he was all too aware of how fast that could change. The situation, however lucky he'd managed to turn it, was his last real chance.

"Now I'm going to save my family, even if I go down trying, even if I die. I'm nothing without them, so if I sound a little fatalistic forgive me. I don't know where they are, or what I'll be facing when I do eventually find them, but I'm going to. Now you can help me out here. You can tell me exactly where they are, because I know you know, or I can shoot you."

"I'd rather die," Harrison told him plainly, "than give you any information that could lead to the death of my family. I've got enough saved to where if I do die, they can go on and be fine, so it really doesn't matter to me if I live past this or not. If I keep my mouth shut they live, and that's what matters most."

Troy peered at him. "Don't you want to see you baby born?"

Harrison squinted at him, a sure sign of a head injury. "That's not relevant."

Troy held the gun steady. "Sure it is. You're about to be a father. You've got a baby on the way. You know you want to be there to see its birth. To hold that baby first. The baby isn't here yet, but I'm sure you've got that parental instinct. I was only really little when my brother came around, but I had it."

"There's someone watching the house," Harrison said evenly. "If he gets the signal he's going to go right through the front door and kill them both."

In frustration Troy said, "Then just tell me where Sharpay and Teddy are. You can go home right away and take care of that guy. I don't need you to back me up. You go take care of your family, and let me take care of mine."

"You really think you'd stand a chance. You wouldn't get five feet in the door. You wouldn't even get to the door. And you even think about bringing the police with you and they'll be dead before the first cop gets out of his car."

"I have to try," he said, holding his ground. "I could never forgive myself if I didn't."

"Don't be stupid, kid. Just give me the gun. I'll tie you up and let someone know where you are once the deal is done."

Troy gave him an incredulous look. "I thought you said not to be stupid." Though being tied up was a hell of a lot better than the death sentence he'd been granted only a few minutes previous.

"I don't have anything else to say," Troy said. "If I haven't convinced you by now I probably won't. It's okay. At least I understand now. And if Sharpay and my brother and god knows how many other people get killed because of you, I'll never forgive you, but I'll still understand. I'll chase you down to the ends of the earth and hand you over to the police, but I won't kill you. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this isn't happening for nothing, but I will never forget who played a hand in it."

Harrison snorted, reaching over to unlatch his seatbelt. "Don't pretend like you're going to shoot me," he said, and Troy couldn't decide if the man was bluffing or not.

Harrison popped open his door, moving slowly and favoring his ribs. He moved around the car, keeping an eye out for any bystanders who might have seen the crash, but realized it was fairly late and they were in a part of town where people kept indoors after dark. Then he reached Troy's door, opened it, and offered as much strength as he could managed to pulling the teen out of the spot he'd been mashed into. 

"The old tobacco farms," he said suddenly, just as Troy was attempting to regain his balance. "Keller's place. The farm house is innocent enough but there's a series of tunnels underneath. I've only been there once, place is scary as all hell, and it's a maze, but Sharpay and your brother are down there somewhere, still alive for now. Sharpay's worth a lot right now, and so is your brother, being who your uncle is."

Troy leaned against the SUV, trying to comprehend the material he'd just been given. "What about Ryan."

"I don't know anything about him. I wasn't supposed to get the kid, just Sharpay. Far as I know he'd out fussing around with that boyfriend of his." The last words were like a sneer, but Troy was thankful for them in every way possible. Ryan was possibly still safe. That really did make Sharpay all that much more valuable.

"You grabbed Sharpay?" Troy asked. "You set off the bombs?"

Harrison shrugged. "More boom than bomb, actually, and be thankful for that. I knew there'd be kids around."

"Lost of people still died," Troy said accusingly. "And why'd you take my brother?"

"Sharpay was a lot easier to handle knowing she held your brother's life in her hands. It was all about time management."

Troy huffed loudly. "Anything else you want to tell me?" He almost felt as if he was burning bridges, all too aware that it was miracle Harrison had said anything to him at all.

"I figure Henry's probably alive there too, so if you find where he's being held he'll be able to help you."

Troy's eyebrows show high. "Henry?"

"Yeah. I took him out first. I had to. He was too smart for his own good. He figured out I was the one leaking out information, and he knew the moment I gave away Sharpay's location." Harrison rubbed his jaw absentmindedly, and indeed Troy could see it was discolored and had been for a while. "He got me pretty good before I put him down. He's still alive to the best of my knowledge. I only clipped him. He's the least annoying person I've worked with in a few decades and he was pretty good at keeping my temper in check, so I figure I owe him."

Troy was thankful for that much. "So this is goodbye then," Troy said.

"I need the gun," Harrison said.

Troy sputtered, "No way!"

"I don't have one."

"If I give you mine then I won't either."

Harrison rolled his eyes. "Fulton, that idiot, liked you a little too much. You want me to believe that he left you defenseless should something happen to him?"

Troy thought hard. "He did say he left something for me. He called it protection." He could feel the keys in his pocket.

"He's a man of his word, if nothing else. If he says that's what's in there, then it's the truth and you don't need the gun. I do. I only know of one guy watching my wife. For all I know that was a lie and there are two or three or more. I'll need a gun if that's the case."

Swallowing hard Troy reluctantly nodded and handed the gun over, still fearful that he was being lied to.

"Where'd Fulton say that protection was?"

"The bowling alley, in a locker. You know where that is?"

Harrison nodded, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket. "Get going. You'll get some help there by the time you're leaving with whatever's there." The man glared at Troy. "Don't ask question. The situation has changed. It isn't in my best interest for you to get killed if you're going to go storming the place like a kamikaze. Wait for the help."

The grimace on the man's face worried him. "What kind of help?"

"A couple of bitches," he said bluntly, "but they're good. If you're gonna do this you'll need them."

"Don't! What if they call the police? That'll get everyone killed."

Harrison turned away from him. "Give them a bit more credit. They're pros. The police are incompetent in comparison. Just be there and wait for them."

"Hey! What about the car?" Troy called as the man began to walk away.

"Key is in the ignition."

Troy cut his eyes. Even if he had his driver's license, the car was pretty bashed up and he knew the first cop that saw it was going to be suspicious.

However, it would get him clear to the other side of town fastest, and he knew most of the back roads and was confident he could stay out of eyesight for the most part. And his family needed him sooner rather than later.

"And kid," Harrison called back over his shoulder, "next time you see Fulton tell him I'm sorry for shooting him twice."

Not for shooting him at all, Troy noted.

"Why'd you do it!" Troy called.

"You know why. But I only meant to do it once. I wasn't out to kill the guy. Just incapacitate him. But the bastard just kept coming after I shot him the first time. So tell him I only meant to do it once."

Somehow Troy didn't think that was going to be a consolation prize of any sorts.

But then Harrison was gone and Troy was alone.


	19. Chapter 19

-1Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: All hell breaks loose and Troy looses himself.

Notes: I do honestly apologize for this taking so long. I have NO idea why the writers block tormented me. Also, I hope it isn't too obvious that I wrote this in large fragments instead of all at once like I normally do. Oh, and lest I forget, there is only one more chapter and an epilogue. The five part sequel is already in the works, but probably won't be out this month due to other writing obligations and school

Warnings: mature content, violence.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Nineteen:

Troy wasn't quite sure what he had imagined what Fulton's idea of protection would end up being, because the man way about as easy to read as his Great Uncle Bernie who'd been in a coma for the past fifteen years. But he was sure what he was currently looking at was far beyond protection. In fact it went to a level Troy wasn't prepared to venture towards. He wasn't sure his stomach could handle it. He wasn't sure he could keep his sanity if he went through with what Fulton was insinuating he do. Troy felt like considering it, or even thinking about it was sickening.

What, Troy wondered, had possessed Fulton to think he was capable of doing it? He loved Teddy more than anyone else in the world, he was confident in that statement. He loved his parents greatly, but they could take care of themselves, and being his parents, there had always been a sort of cultural barrier between them. Teddy instead was his brother. Teddy was his everything and Troy knew he'd give up his life for the kid without a second thought, but that was an entirely different story. Was his unconditional love for his brother enough to make Fulton think he was capable of such an action?

And if he did, not that Troy was planning on doing it, he wondered if he could look himself in the mirror. Could he live with himself, never mind the legal ramifications that he'd feel morally obligated to confess to. Would his love for Teddy and Sharpay be tainted, if he did what it apparently took in Fulton's eyes, and thus not be love at all?

He gagged a little at the thought of becoming a monster.

But if he didn't, a part of his mind rationalized, he had no guarantee that he'd get either Sharpay or Teddy back. Was it forgivable if he was acting selflessly?

Deciding he'd wasted enough time, and that he'd figure it out when he had to, he reached forward into the open locker in front of him and snatched out a blue duffle bag. His hands shook violently as he zipped it closed, unable to look at the contents any longer.

"I thought you'd be bigger."

Troy spun on heel, duffle bag handing limply in one hand. He sized up the two women in front of him, unable to tell which had spoken to him.

"I know a guy who said that to me once," he answered back cautiously.

"You probably thought he'd be older, right?" the woman on the right answered, a good natured smile finding its way onto her face, complimenting her shining green eyes and glossy shoulder length blonde hair.

Troy offered back a weak smile. "And a little more mature."

The woman smiled a bit wider, a stark contrast to her stone faced companion, a woman with a tight scowl and auburn hair pulled back into a compacting bun.

"Bobby's special like that. A total goof, but reliable and a good friend."

"You're one to talk," the brunette told her partner as Troy's eyebrows knitted together. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe they weren't talking about the same person.

"His middle name is Robert," the blonde volunteered. "I call everyone younger than me by their middle name. Makes life a little more interesting, eh?"

The woman was never finding out his middle name, Troy decided on the spot.

"So, Harrison sent you?"

The brunette crossed her arms. "That lying, traitorous, pile of pig dung did."

Troy gulped. She was scarier than anyone else.

"I'm Jamie," the blonde introduced herself. "And my statue friend is Stacey. Maybe you heard Sharpay or Ryan mention us? We're not around a lot. Stacey works with our international contacts, so she spends most of her time out of the country and I'm busy almost year round with Wyatt."

Ah, Troy remembered Sharpay mentioning both women in passing a while ago. He thought he'd eventually meet them, however under better circumstances.

"Wyatt?" Troy inquired.

The brunette, Stacey, scowled harder as Jamie replied happily enough, "Tristan Wyatt. He's just the most adorable kid ever. He's Sharpay and Ryan's only cousin. His parents died a while ago, so I'm looking out for him, making sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Their cousin?" Troy asked, more confused than ever by the continuously expanding universe that was Sharpay Evans and her family.

"Tristan's mother was Sharpay's mother's sister. His parents were in the car with her when it was run off the road. Jamie looks after him like Fulton does for Sharpay and Ryan, though he's hardly a child," Stacey said.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Wyatt always be my little cherub with curly blonde hair and red cheeks."

"He's in college," Stacey said stoutly.

Troy licked his dry lips. "So you know about the situation?"

Jamie nodded, looking a far cry for her seemingly natural happy mood. "Yeah. And try not to think it's your fault, okay? Harrison had been leaking information for months. Pao knew exactly where Sharpay was going to be nearly every day to the minute, and he was just biding his time until you went somewhere public enough for him to move. It wasn't because you wanted to go to the zoo. If you had gone to a baseball game instead he might have done the same."

Troy nodded, his eyes falling to the ground. He sure did feel like it was his fault, no matter what anyone said.

"Your little brother got snatched too, didn't he?" Jamie asked softly.

"I've got to get him back," Troy said desperately. "I love Sharpay, don't get me wrong, but my little brother means everything to me. He's just a kid. He's spent most of his life being sick, and he's just now getting to live. I have to get him back or I'll never forgive myself."

"Harrison said Pao's men are holed up out at the old Tobacco farm. We need to get on the road and check the place out. We shouldn't be talking about this here," Stacey said, eyeing the midnight bowlers who'd started to glance their way occasionally.

"My car is a little banged up," he said bashfully.

Jamie smiled again, "We saw. Great driving there, teenager."

"I wasn't driving when that happened," he mumbled, holding the duffle bag tightly and following the two women out of the bowling alley.

"Who else knows you're here, doing this and helping me?" Troy asked once they were seated in a black car, Stacey at the wheel and Jamie looking at him over her shoulder from the front seat.

"Not Mr. Evans, if that's what you're thinking," Jamie said immediately. "He wouldn't go for this in a million years. Not that he trusts the cops or the feds, because he'd gotten screwed over my them more than once, but he's the kind of guy who'd rather just pay the price to get his kid back."

"But Sharpay told me she was sure if Gideon Pao ever got hold of her or her brother, he'd never give them back. No matter what."

Jamie shrugged. "Probably not, but he'd still pay anyway and try. He likes to wait and weigh out the consequences of actions. He's a thinking man."

"Sharpay and your brother will be dead before he can sign his name on the check," Stacey said. "That's what my gut tells me."

"So we're not telling Mr. Evans we're here," Jamie continued. "As far as he knows Stacey is still over seas and I'm still hanging out in a college dorm. Hopefully he'll realize we're here when we bring Sharpay home to him."

They rode on a bit more, Troy only slightly phased by the fact that Stacey seemed to know exactly where to go, and seemed more than just slightly familiar with the streets. Finally he asked, "Not that I'm complaining here, but why are you taking me along? I half expected to have to fight my way into going with you."

"I wanted to shove you in that little locker," Stacey said.

"That's her way of saying she doesn't want you to get hurt," Jamie said quickly, glaring at her partner. "We don't want you here, honestly, but we're pretty sure you're so stubborn and dead set on coming, that if we don't take you with us, you'll come on your own and who knows how bad things will end then. We want to keep our eyes on you, and we can best do that if you're with me."

The blonde smiled sadly. "But we are walking into a war zone. We're lucky they're still in the state, let alone the country, but it won't be that way for long, and until they're gone they'll be expecting people like us coming. They'll be armed and ready. We think Pao is there too, which means that place will be harder to break into than Fort Knox. We're going to get shot at. A lot. The place is far enough into the country that no one is going to heard the guns, and that means they'll get to use everything they've got on us, probably just short of a rocket launcher, but even then I wouldn't be so sure. You may not walk out of here, and you need to think real hard about that."

It was a wonder, Troy thought, that the woman was treating him like an adult. Suddenly he was realizing how childish everyone had treated him up until the current point in his life. Of course he wasn't sure if that was awesome or incredibly reckless on her part. Either way, he like the idea of being able to decide his future, knowing the possible consequences of his actions.

"I made my decision a long time ago, right around the time my little brother vanished and I realized the only person who stood a chance of getting him back in one piece was myself. My uncle might be the chief of police but I don't trust him not to barge in and start a firefight. He's a good cop, but he's still a cop and he'll think about getting Pao over Teddy. He probably won't be able to help himself. I will. Pao can go scot-free for all I care as long as I get Teddy and Sharpay back."

"Okay," Jamie said simply enough.

They stopped a good quarter mile from the entrance to the farm, too afraid of watchmen spoiling their arrival.

"You're going to stick with me, okay Troy?" Jamie said. "I think Stacey might shoot you if you go with her," she said, tone in her voice not giving an inch of humor.

"There are lots of entrances and that's our advantage," Stacey said." They might have a lot of men, but not nearly enough to cover all the entrances and secret passages. That makes it easier for us to pick them off, and less of a chance for them to find us. Our plan is to infiltrate, take down only those necessary, locate Sharpay and your brother, and then make our escape. Pao is not our main subject. I'd like to kill the bastard myself, but I'm more interested in making sure Sharpay lives to see tomorrow."

Troy nodded in agreement, sliding out of the car.

"You ever held a gun?" Stacey asked, popping the trunk of the car to reveal nothing short of an arsenal.

"Yeah," he said almost reluctantly. "And Fulton left me one, too." He unzipped the duffle at his side and slowly pulled out a sleek handgun. "And plenty of ammo."

"Just don't point it at me," Stacey said, and Jamie's hand pushed the muzzle of the gun away from their direction.

"So we're splitting up?" he asked, slinging the duffle over one shoulder.

Jamie nodded as Stacey responded, "I'm taking the direct approach. I'll set off a few disruptors that should knock out any sensors they have set up, and head in through the front do to map the place out. Jamie will take you along around the north side and you'll go in through an old emergency hatch. It's a pretty dangerous route, so chances are there probably won't be much interference for a good while."

"Wait," Troy protested. "The back way? I'm not trying to get myself shot, but chances are you're going to run into Sharpay and my brother before me taking the direct route. I want to go that way."

Jamie rested a soft hand on his shoulder and told him softly, "Stacey is going to be the distraction when things inevitably go bad. The front door is going to be inaccessible after a short while. You don't want to go that way."

Troy nodded somberly, understanding at once.

They walked along a dirt path for a while until they reached the first perimeter of the area. Stacey stopped them with an air of finality.

"Good luck," Jamie said, catching her partner in an embrace that the other woman melted into.

"You take care of my daughter," Stacey said just loud enough for Troy to catch, but even then he felt like an intruder in a personal conversation.

"Come on, Troy," Jamie said, gesturing him in the opposite direction Stacey was headed. "Lets go get Sharpay and your brother back."

They crept along the fields easily enough, telling Troy at once that Stacey had been successful, and when they pressed up against the north side of the large house it seemed they'd been undetected thus far.

"The door is this way," Jamie told him in a breathy voice, jerking a thumb towards the left that in the darkness Troy could only just see.

The door in fact was nothing more than a slab of metal angled awkwardly away from him. It appeared it led to a passage that passed under the house, and the prospect of being confined in such a small space, detected or not, caused sudden anxiety in Troy.

"Stay with me," Jamie said.

He stood silently as she caught the door handle and pause for a moment, eyes closed, waiting for something Troy couldn't figure out.

"Moment of truth," she whispered to him.

The door didn't squeak thankfully as Jamie pried it half open and after a half moment she let out a sigh of relief.

"No alarm," he said, realizing her hesitation for what it had been.

"But there was one."

Troy bit his lip as the spied the white box inside the door situated at the top.

Jamie leveled her own gun and took a step inside. She smiled at him and said cheekily, "And they said you were bad luck."

Troy had only just made to enter after her when alarms pierced the air. He'd heard much louder in his life, but it was their mere presence that shattered his heart.

Jamie looked panicked for a moment, and Troy thought of all people he needed her to be calm. He needed her to tell him what to do, though even in the darkness he could see her hesitation. They were on the same wavelength. Neither were sure whether to abort or continue on, or where their adversaries would come from.

Finally Jamie wrenched his shoulder hard and pushed him from the tunnel commanding, "Run! Run and don't look back!"

Then she was gone from his side and he realized she was far under the house already. She wanted him to take to the fields where he'd have a better chance of hiding himself within the massive amounts of brush, while she moved deeper into enemy territory and tried to complete her task. Troy could only think about what had happened to Stacey and her plan if it had all fallen apart so suddenly.

A sound to his left caught him off guard and he knew in an instance Jamie had made the wrong call. The men flooding towards their position were on the outside. They weren't in the tunnels. They were coming at Troy.

He ran, just like Jamie had told him too, eye scanning for a place that would offer him a bit of safety, but there was nothing remotely around him worth attempting to hide in. And the field was too far, especially with the blaring lights that had only recently come on.

He could hear people behind him, shouting at him in a language he didn't recognize. It sounded faintly like Chinese or Japanese, but he wasn't sure, and he'd been sprinting along the side of the house for so long that he was becoming short of breath and his brain was becoming deprived of oxygen, making it impossible for him to think clearly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw his salvation. He pushed forward with a final burst of strength and then threw himself forward, sliding along the dirt ground on his stomach. Then he burst through the thin grate and tumbled down a short distance before landing on a cold and hard surface.

He spared only a moment to catch his breath before moving at once, crawling on his hands through what he discovered to be a air vent just large enough to accommodate his stature.

Behind him he could hear more shouts and he could see the echo of the flashlight beams, but he was sure the men chasing him were too large to follow him. And if he was extremely lucky, they wouldn't even know he was in the air vent. From the outside it hadn't looked like anything at all, and Troy had only recognized it because at a young age he and his friends had often frequented the old country houses and crawled around the abandoned ones.

It was dusty and sometimes he had to pause when the vent creaked dangerously, but he was more than thankful for it. He followed it up and around corners, traversing the house as stealthy as possible, and at certain junctures he could see through grates and hear the rushed voices of the men in the house.

He felt like he'd been crawling forever when he faintly heard Sharpay's voice. It was so soft that he almost missed it, but he was sure he'd have known her voice anywhere and it flooded his body with true relief.

He turned left when given the opportunity and heard Sharpay's voice growing nearer, making him move faster. And finally he came to a grate in the vent and looking down he was able to see Sharpay's form bend over a smaller on a twin sized bed, a threatening man stationed on the other side of the room.

He froze, barely able to breathe as he realized something was deathly wrong with his brother. Dirt and soot covered the both of them, their clothes ripped and torn, but upon his brother's forehead and particularly his hairline Troy could make out a dull red color that he recognized at once as blood.

He wiggled his body a little, bringing the duffle up to his front as quietly as possible. He slid the gun in his hand into the bad and pulled out another, this time fitted with a strange piece on the end. Troy thought he knew what it was, and prayed it was.

He paused a minute, listening to Sharpay's words that were now clear. He was comforted by her soothing words, hearing her speak to his brother and offer reassurances. Despite their situation, she still held hope that they'd make it out so far, and even if the child couldn't hear him, she continued to speak. Troy had never been more proud of her.

He dug his fingers into the grate, ignoring the pain and pried it open, holding his breath in the process. When he hadn't been discovered he raised the gun and aimed it carefully at the man in front of him, trying desperately to stop his hand from shaking.

It was his moment of truth. In that very instance, holding his breath and his mind whirling incomprehensively, he felt the weight of his character being measured. The next second or two would tell him ultimately if he valued one human life over another. If he was capable of playing the part of executioner. If he could take another human life so easily, even if for the sake of his family. Because in fact, he reminded himself, it was no case of self defense he was faced with. He wasn't contemplating killing a man in order to save his own life. There was nothing of the sort of self preservation on his side.

He shuttered again, eyes slipping closed.

Then below him he heard a gasp and his eyes flew open, confident he'd been made.

He saw Sharpay looking up at him for just an instance, then her eyes were across the room to the man who had risen to his feet.

"What, girl?" he barked out, and Sharpay shook her head.

"Nothing. Can we get some water? Or how about a towel and some ice?"

Troy flinched visibly when the man's hand struck her face, ultimately silencing her.

And Troy made his move, sweaty finger pulling the trigger in the blink of an eye.

There was only a soft swooshing sound, the silencer on the gun preventing any other sound, but the echo of the man's body hitting the ground was louder than anything Troy had ever heard before in his life.

He took a minute to just breathe. To comprehend his actions. Then he wiggled forward, more collapsing than landing on the floor.

Sharpay was in his arms in an instance, shaking and sobbing quietly.

"It's okay," he said, arms coming around her lithe body. "I'm here. I'm going to get you out of here. It's okay."

Sharpay blinked up at him with red eyes, mascara no more than a black smudge around each eye. "You're so stupid, Troy," she told him, but he could hear the utter relief in her voice.

"Teddy," Troy said, keeping her snug against his side but turning to his brother. "Why's he bleeding?"

"It happened in the explosion," Sharpay said in a shaking voice. "He got hit by something in the head. I got the bleeding to stop with my shirt, but I think he's got a concussion. I think he got hit really hard."

Troy eyes moved from her red stained shirt to his motionless little brother on the bed. He moved slowly away from Sharpay, feeling her follow him, and perched on the edge of the bed. He inspected the long gash across his brother's hairline and his face twisted into a decidedly terrified shape. "It's bad," he told her. "He needs stitches. The bleeding only stopped because you managed to get it to clot. It won't last long. And if he got hit hard enough to make that kind of wound, he needs to have a CAT scan."

He leaned forward and wearily rested his elbows on his knees. "There goes my escape plan."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow at him. "No offence, Troy, because I'm going to love you forever for coming after us, but it doesn't exactly look like you had an entry plan."

"I had better," he told her, pressing his forehead against hers. "I had Stacey and Jamie."

Recognition and an ounce of relief flooded Sharpay. "How'd they get out here so fast? Jamie was on the other side of the country and Stacey wasn't even in it."

"I get the feeling Fulton let them know about his bad feeling a while ago, and they were probably no less than six or seven hours away. Harrison sent them with me."

"Harrison! He's the one who grabbed us! He's a traitor!"

Troy nodded somberly. "Yeah, he is, but he's got his reasons. And if he lives, I'm sure he's going to get beat up pretty badly by Fulton and Stacey and maybe even Jamie, but there's no guarantee on that." Sharpay was confused and Troy told her, "I'll explain everything once we get out of here." His eyes went up to the vent and then back down to his brother. "And like I said, my escape plan is pretty shot now, considering there's no way the both of us can get up in that vent and drag Teddy along with us."

Sharpay swallowed hard. "I don't know the layout of the place at all. We took too many turns. Making a run for the door won't work either. I don't even know where the door is."

"Okay," Troy said finally, "Sharpay, I'm going to boost you up into the vent. I want you to follow it back out. Then you gotta run as fast as you can, but someone's going to be out there looking for more intruders, so be careful and get help as fast as you can. It doesn't matter if the cops come in here guns blazing. We need help. I'm going to stay with Teddy and try and find some place to hide."

"I'm not leaving you," she told him defiantly, grabbing him by the forearms, her fingernails digging into his skin. "You came to get me. I can't just desert you now, or Teddy. I've been with him from the very beginning. I care about him, too."

"You're right, I did come to get you, and that's why you're getting in that vent. This isn't going to be all for nothing. I'm going to save someone."

"I'm not," she told him simply. "And frankly Troy, you don't exactly look like you can force me right now." She dared him to attempt to forcefully lift her up into the vent. She admitted, she was particularly thin, never having been able to actually put on the kind of weight her doctor advised her, but she had more than enough stubbornness to make up for strength. She added, "Plus, Troy, your brother isn't exactly light. He may be your baby brother, but he isn't a baby. You'll get too tired to carry him really soon."

Resolved, Troy asked her, "I know you got lost in here, but did you see anywhere we could possibly hide?"

"We really don't want to do that," Sharpay told him nervously. "I heard some of those guys talking. They said if the deal Pao plans to make with daddy goes sour, like if someone tried to rescue me, he'd detonate the bombs he's got placed around here. Troy, this place is a death trap. If those bombs go off no matter where we're hiding they're going to kill us. We have to get out of here."

Troy wound one arm around Sharpay and drew her in close, kissing her deeply. "I've got my own insurance."

"What kind?" she inquired naturally.

"We really have to get Fulton a thank you card or something. He thinks of everything."

Troy gathered his brother into his arms, groaning a little at the weight. Still, he hefted the kid up and turned to Sharpay, watching her inch around the body freely bleeding on the ground.

"I had to," he told her softly, imploring her to believe him. To understand. To forgive him.

To his relief she nodded. "I know you did." She hugged her arms around her torso. "I'd like to think I would have done the same in your position."

He told her honestly, "I never want you to have to make that kind of choice. I don't even want you thinking about it."

Sharpay moved to the door. "There isn't a guy outside the door, I'm pretty sure, but I know one is down the hall." She silently implied what he needed to do.

"Get me my gun," he told her, gesturing sickly to the pistol on the ground that he'd dropped after shooting the man. "And the duffle, please."

He let Sharpay bear Teddy's weight as he slung the duffle over his back and brought the gun back up. "Stay in the room, okay? Just incase the guy gets trigger happy. I'm going to draw him down the hall so when I shoot him he won't be in plain view."

He barely waited for her confirmation before opening the door a sliver and checking for the man. As Sharpay had said there was a suit clad man at the end of the hall, back turned to the room.

"Hey, you," Troy said, poking his head of the door, but keeping the gun hidden behind it.

As expected the man came flying down the hall, reaching into his jacket for what Troy assumed to be his own gun.

Killing the second man was easier than the first, and Troy wondered if that was something to be concerned over. Was he becoming a monster? The first death on his hands had nearly broken him, but the second had been a mere reflex and he hadn't had difficulty in deciding to take the man's life.

God, he wondered, what was he becoming? How could he face his parents? How could he look at himself in the mirror?

He couldn't even stand the beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest. It all disgusted him.

Sharpay followed him down the hall wordlessly, struggling to keep Teddy off the ground and avoid any further damage to him.

It happened so quickly Troy's reflexes were barely enough to throw himself and Sharpay to the side. And all at once Troy found himself and Sharpay pinned down behind a corner while shots rang out at them. He knew at once they were out gunned and out maneuvered. There was no where to run and no salvation from certain death.

"I know who you are," a cold and distance voice rang out down the hall.

"That's him," Sharpay whispered in Troy's ear, pale and shaking again. "That's Gideon Pao."

"Well I know who you are too," he shouted back. "You're the bastard who hurt my brother and tried to take the girl I love away from me."

"Step around the corner and you'll be shot humanely. Make my men come for you and I'll torture you to death personally, as slow as I can manage it, but I'll make you watch me do it to your brother first."

Troy tightened his grip on the gun. "You let us walk out the front door and I won't hurt you in ways you can't begin to imagine."

The laugh echoing towards him was the worst Troy had ever heard.

"Sharpay," Troy said, leaning into her. "I'm not a bad person."

She looked at him with confused eyes. "I know. You're a good person. One of the best I know."

"And even good people have to do bad things."

Troy unzipped the duffle and pulled out a folder, thick and heavy in his hands. He weighed the mental weight of it for a moment.

Earlier on in the night he'd wondered if he could go through with what Fulton had started, what he'd wanted Troy to do. And at the time Troy had been so sure he couldn't dirty his hands in such a way, but that had been before he'd already taken lives. He was already tainted, and it was scary how now he realized taking the final step wasn't out of his reach.

When he questioned himself seriously he knew he could go through with the plans. He could and would, but he wasn't entirely sure how much a person he would be afterwards.

"I've got a friend," Troy called out, hugging the folder to his chest. "And he's really good at finding out information. The kind of stuff that even the slickest people try to hide." Troy took a shuttering breath and tossed the folder around the corner, contents and glossy photos spilling out. "And he might not be here to use your secrets against you, but I am, and you'd better be really sure I'm not bluffing you before you make your next move."

There was only silence from around the corner and Sharpay asked Troy, "What's in the folder?"

There was a glint in Troy's eyes that scared her enough to have her physically moving an inch or so away from him. She hugged Teddy closer and waited for his answer with frayed nerves, thinking at once that she hardly knew the person in front of her.

"Protection," he told her.


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Forever in a Chance

Rating: Teen

Summary: The story comes to a climax and not everyone will survive.

Notes: FINALLY the last chapter, aside from the epilogue, of course. Enjoy. Looks out for the epilogue to follow shortly.

Warnings: mature content

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the HSM characters, plots or themes, and if I do accidentally steal them, I have no money in which to be sued for.

Chapter Twenty:

There was perhaps only a few second in-between Troy tossing the contents down onto the ground for everyone to see and the reaction they caused, even if it seemed like an eternity. Despite feeling as prepared as he was going to ever be, and having seen the photos already once to acclimate himself to the idea, he was far from ready when they spilled out on the dirty and frayed carpet of the old mansion. Even less was he prepared for Sharpay's reaction.

Her eyes sought the glossy pictures almost out of instinct and once she realized what they were detailing she pressed away from him at once, fear in her eyes.

She didn't scream, she made not even a sound and Troy gave her that much credit.

"And what are those supposed to be?" Pao asked with a laugh of confidence.

Troy squared his shoulders, feeling Sharpay's gaze burn into him.

"They're exactly what they look like," he called around the corner. "That's someone you care about, I bet."

"What are you doing?" Sharpay asked him breathlessly.

Troy ignored her, continuing to Pao, "Your daughter, right? Or maybe a niece. Could even be a kid sister. She looks a lot like you, that's for sure."

Earlier that night when Troy had reached into the locker and pulled out the duffle bag's contents he'd been convinced he couldn't go through with hurting and innocent person just to get at someone who was a guilty as sin. He'd never met the girl in the pictures, didn't know who she was or what her name was, or really what her relation to Gideon Pao was. The dozen or so photos told him only that she was older than him, but not by an awful lot, living someone that looked like a college housing complex and that she was pretty.

He'd wanted to hate Fulton for what he'd clearly been planning to use against Pao as leverage if the situation had come down to it, and now what he was implying Troy ought to do with his preparations.

Troy wasn't a strong person when it came down to it, and he wasn't trying to fool himself into thinking he was. He got scared, he whimped out on a lot of things and when things got hard he often took the easy route as opposed to the more fulfilling, longer one. He liked his bubble where his parents protected him and his friends were generally nice and gentle people. He wasn't naturally courageous or strong. He was just Troy Bolton, an average student who liked to play basketball and lived in the quiet, safe suburbs.

Of course Sharpay naturally had taken away his identity for the most part. She'd made him question what really made him happy and if the life he was currently living was satisfying him. She'd popped his little bubble and was slowly transforming him into a man, like any good partner did. Still, that didn't make him Fulton material. He couldn't hurt people as easily, even for the greater good.

Only hours earlier he'd been appalled at the idea of compromising his morals for any reason, even to save his brother and Sharpay.

Something had changed him along the way in only a few short hours.

Maybe it was because he had blood on his hands, because he wasn't any braver than usual. He wasn't quiet certain the kind of person he was turning into, but he knew he was growing hard. Looking at his hurt younger brother and knowing exactly what Pao planned to do with Sharpay, he was capable of bringing himself to harm others, even innocents. He hated the monster he was becoming, but couldn't help himself. His family came first, even at the expense of others. If that damned his soul then he could live with the consequences, so long as his family was safe.

He could even let some sweet faced, young, bright teenager be blown to pieces the next time she started her car or when she left her house to go to class.

"I didn't plant the explosives," Troy told Pao honestly, "my friend did, so I can't exactly tell you how many there are. I'd have to guess from the pictures that there are at least five, but there could be more. Also, I don't know much about explosives at all, so maybe you're doing a better job at identifying the bombs, but it looks to me that any attempt to disarm them will activate a kill switch. I'm pretty sure you need the code, and trying to hack that code probably isn't a good idea either. I'm just saying."

The cold tone of his voice scared himself and he wondered if he had any control over his own body at all.

"You little bastard!" Pao shrieked, voice echoing down the hallway.

"Like I said, my friend is really good at getting information, even on people who guard their family closely and keep them in secret. He found out about her, whoever she is, and just because he isn't here to threaten you, doesn't mean those bombs still aren't going to go off. Now I know some people who could deactivate them, but I can't very well talk to them from in here, now can I."

"Troy," Sharpay whispered from his side, holding Teddy to her tightly. "Please," she pleaded with him, but for what Troy didn't know.

"I'm not a bad person," he repeated, the phrase becoming his mantra. "But sometimes good people have to do bad things for the ones they love."

"You make the call now," Pao demanded, a phone sliding into view. "When I know she's safe you'll be."

"I'm not stupid," Troy said, giving the phone a vicious kick back to its owner before ducking back around the corner. "How about Sharpay and Teddy and I leave and then I'll call you and tell you she's safe."

"I'm not a fool."

"You're not trustworthy, either." Troy looked down again at the photos, wincing at the girl's smiling face. "I make it a point not to lie. I'm telling you, on my word, if you let my family and I walk out of here alive I'll guarantee you that yours will be as well. You would have had no reason to trust my friend, and you probably don't have any reason to trust me, other than the fact that you've probably been watching me for a while. You know I try to do the right things. You know I don't go back on my word. We're at a stalemate like this, and I'm never going to trust you, so if you want her to live you'll trust me."

Pao laughed again, a sound Troy was seriously tiring of. He remarked, "You're just a boy. You don't have the balls."

"But I don't have to do it," Troy seethed. "There's no button I have to push. There's no one I have to tell to flip a switch. All I have to do is sit right here and let the time run out, and frankly, I have no idea how much is left. It could be those explosives go off in thirty seconds, or in two weeks. I do know, however, that if I don't turn up with Sharpay that someone is going to deliberately set off those bombs and I still won't have to do anything. So don't let us leave. Don't make the deal. I'll die, and so will Sharpay, but so will whoever that girl is. I don't have to do anything. You do."

Then there was silence. Calculating, eerie, unnerving silence. Troy held his breath, not daring to look over at Sharpay whom he was sure had a look of betray on her face. If they got out of the situation he was pretty sure she'd never want to speak to him again. He was a cold blooded killer. He'd taken lives and he was certainly not the person he'd been when she'd met him. He probably wasn't the person she'd fallen in love with and he wasn't' the kind of person she wanted to be with. He was going to lose her, and in that lose his heart. But she'd still be alive, and that was what was most important.

"This isn't over," Pao said finally. "I'm going to hunt you down boy. I'm going to hunt you down and hurt you and your brother and everyone you know."

Troy took a sharp breath and stepped out from the corner. "And I'm going to be waiting for you every moment of every day. When you come, I'll be waiting."

"No mercy."

Troy nodded. "No mercy."

There was something so completely unsettling about the kind of respect Troy had just been afforded and returned with Pao. They had an understanding--an agreement on gentlemen's terms, and Pao had been the last one Troy had thought that would ever happen with. Then again, he hadn't exactly foreseen the kind of ritualistic and scarring effects bonding over the death threats to love ones could bring a person. It was an odd feeling.

Troy held out his hand to Sharpay. "Come on," he told her sharply, leaving no room for resistance.

She moved at once to his side, even if it was with fear in her eyes, stepping out into the open and hoisting Teddy up further into her arms.

Troy kept a steady hand on the small of her back as they moved towards the dangerous men, and the other on the gun's trigger. "I keep my word," Troy told Pao when they were almost face to face.

"A man's word is his law and justice," Pao returned and Troy breathed a sigh of half relief. Pao was going to let them go. Their deal was good.

When Sharpay screamed it was like nothing Troy had ever heard before in his life. The pitch and raw fear in the tone froze his muscles at once and for a moment he thought his heart had stopped. His vision began to go as he turned for her, desperate to know why she was screaming. The sound to him was like a large void, sucking him in and taking away everything he loved.

The searing pain brought him back. It let him know his heart was still pumping. And when he collapsed down to his knees he knew why Sharpay had been screaming. He looked down at his chest, now a red color that he didn't think was right at all.

Around him chaos erupted and Sharpay was screaming again, along with men yelling and the deafening sound of gunfire.

He was on the ground next, head turned and cheek pressing onto the hard surface.

"Sharpay," he rasped out, reaching for her with a hand that wouldn't cooperate. "You're bleeding." His eyes locked on the spray of blood across her chest and coating her neck.

Hunched down protectively over Teddy she leaned in close to him, pressing her forehead to his with tears in her eyes. "I'm fine," she said sincerely. "It isn't mine."

"What's going on?" he asked, finding it harder and harder to breathe. He couldn't hear the gun shots anymore, only the shouting of undistinguishable voices.

"Be quiet," she told him, climbing to her knees and ripping off her outer shirt. Clad now only in a white tank top she pressed her shirt down on his back, making him cry out in pain. She ignored his cries and said, "Just lie still, okay. We're fine." He watched her as she looked away from him, eyes taking in the situation. "We're going to be okay."

"Goddamn sons of bitches," a rough but familiar voice croaked out, dropping down by Sharpay's side. "Should've killed me when they had the chance."

Looking pale and sick Henry took over for Sharpay, his much bigger hands able to staunch heavy flow of blood somewhat better.

"We have to get out of here now," Sharpay said, eyes moving from Troy and Henry to Jamie who was favoring an arm limp at her side coated with blood and Stacey, clearly bleeding from her right shoulder. "There are bombs."

"I got some of them," Stacey said, gun still trained on the body of Pao. "Six."

"I don't know how many more there are," Sharpay replied softly

"Alright," Henry said, "we have to move. Any of those bastards still alive?"

"Don't think so," Jamie said, making no attempt to check.

Henry shrugged. "Good enough for me. Sharpay, get the kid. I'll take the brat here."

Sharpay couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. Henry had spoken about Troy with real affection. The man was incredibly hard to win over, but entirely worth it.

They ran for how long Sharpay didn't know, Jamie with her good arm helping Sharpay support the body of Teddy that was growing steadily too heavy for her alone. Ahead of her Henry ran with Troy in his arms, a trail of blood flowing down Troy's hanging arm leaving a trail of blood. She had no idea how he seemed to know exactly where to go, but she wasn't about to question him.

They settled in a spot out in the fields far enough away from the house to satisfy Henry.

"He's loosing too much blood," Sharpay cried out desperately, both terrified and relieved Troy had passed out from the pain.

"Backup and an ambulance is already on the way," Stacey said, sitting on the ground and tending to her own wound. "Called just before the bullets started flying."

"It's a chest wound," Sharpay heard Stacey tell Henry.

"What's that mean?" Sharpay demanded.

Henry responded, "Time restricting."

"I forgive you," Sharpay said, leaning down over Troy. "I know you can't hear me, but I do. Good people do bad things for the people they love. I understand. I forgive you."

Off in the distance the sounds of police cruisers and ambulances raced towards their ears, and as Troy continued to bleed out Sharpay believed she'd lost Troy.

When next Troy came to it was with extreme pain and little memory. He blinked open lazy and hazy eyes, taking in his environment.

It was the hospital he recognized.

"Hey, sleepyhead. It's about time you woke up."

Troy turned toward the voice, seeing his Uncle standing by the side of the best. The police chief stood decked out in his formal wear, apparently half in the process of collecting his things.

"I was just about to leave. It's just about your mother's turn to sit with you."

"What happened?" Troy asked, unable to recall how he had ended up in the hospital and why his chest felt as if it was on fire.

"I want to apologize," the man said. "I knew about Sharpay and her family. I should have told your mother the moment I linked her to being the same girl you were dating."

Troy cleared his throat. "No," he said simply, recalling Ryan had told him once that the chief of police knew about them. "You gave your word to Mr. Evans, right? You couldn't even tell your sister."

His Uncle sighed, placing his hat on his head. "For my little sister and my nephews I would have. There's nothing I wouldn't do for family. Family is worth compromising a man's word."

A phrase came to Troy at once and he repeated it back to his Uncle, "A man's word is his law and justice."

"Maybe," the man sighed. "I'll see you later, kiddo. Rest up."

"Wait," Troy protested. "What happened?"

"Get some rest. Don't argue. There'll be plenty of time for questions and answers later."

And Troy was feeling incredibly tired. He wanted to know, wanted to have his memories back and find out what had happened to him, but he grew sleepy again and his eyes closed.

It was a while before he woke again.

When he did it was to Sam's deep voice demanding, "Wake up, already. Your Mom said you've been up a couple times already. I'm getting so bored just sitting here."

"Demanding," Troy said, looking over at the male seated next to his bed.

"You okay?" Sam asked him seriously. "You almost died. They said the amount of blood you lost … man, people just don't come back from that kind of thing. You're kinda like superman to the doctors. I hear they want you as a test subject. I even gave blood. We're the same type and the hospital was a little short. We all gave blood."

"Sharpay!" Troy remembered, lurching up in bed despite the considerable pain it caused him. "And Teddy. Tell me everything."

Sam eased back in his chair.

"You go shot--in the back. It was a through and through, so while you bled faster, you were lucky that bullet didn't lodge in there."

"Pao was in front of me," Troy said, eyebrows furrowing.

Sam shrugged. "All I know is you got shot in the back, probably by some guy who didn't like the idea of his meal ticket just walking out on him. According to Sharpay as soon as that happened those other people Jamie and Henry and ugh, that other woman, I can't remember her name, anyway, they jumped into the fight, took Pao and his guys down and got you out to fields. The ambulance almost didn't get to you in time."

Troy swallowed harshly. "What about Teddy? He was in bad shape."

"Intracranial bruising and swelling," Sam told him. "That's what they call it, whatever that means. He's had to have a couple surgeries because his brain was pressing up against his skull and causing some pretty bad bleeding. He's still critical."

Troy gapped. "How long has it been? What do you mean critical. I thought it was just a bad concussion."

Sam shook his head. "Apparently a lot more. He's in a coma. And it's been three and a half weeks."

Troy felt his stomach bottom out. "No," he whispered. "What about Sharpay?"

"She was fine last I heard."

"Huh?"

Sam's face grew dark. "When all this went down for you and Sharpay, Ryan and I were having a nice date down by First Street, attempting to throw Henry off our trail. He's a cool guy and all, but I really wanted some alone time with Ryan. And my parents were totally out of town for the week, if you get what I'm saying."

Troy threw him a look.

"Anyway, I'm still not sure what set it off, but suddenly people were panicking and running everywhere. I almost lost Ryan, and we both lost Henry. Ryan told me once if any of those guys ever disappeared from sight in a situation like that it wasn't good. So I put him in my car and I drove his ass as far away from there as possible. I think we were two states over by the time we could get through to anyone and find out what was going on."

Troy nodded. "I'm glad to know Ryan is okay, but how is this about Sharpay."

"Impatient," Sam snapped. "When I brought him back it was directly to the police station. He asked me to wait out front so he could check on his sister and father, and then he wanted to go to the hospital and check on Fulton. I waited for a half and hour. When I went in to check on him he was gone. So was Sharpay and her father. They just vanished."

Catching Troy's alarmed voice Sam quickly said, "No, nothing like that again. Apparently this is normal. Whenever their cover is blown they leave town like this. No goodbyes. They're both gone."

"Ryan told me," Troy said softly. "He said one day she'd just be gone."

Sam leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Oh, Fulton recovered enough to transfer to another hospital. I don't know which one, and he's probably never going to be completely healthy, he's got some kind of heart damage from the strain it took to keep him alive, but he's going to be back to his cheery, normal self in no time."

"What about Harrison?"

Sam scowled. "Don't know anything about him. Don't really care."

"How did this happen?" Troy asked, breathing as deeply as his chest would allow. "How did this all fall apart?"

"I don't know," Sam told him softly. He reached into his pocket after standing a pulled out a slip of paper. "I found this in my car, in an envelope Ryan left for me some time ago I'm guessing. It's PO Box address. I wouldn't expect an answer, but you might be able to leave Sharpay a note or two. I'm going to send one to Ryan. It's the only thing we can do."

Sam left shortly after and Troy was alone, finding out from the teen that his mother was currently sitting in on his brother and his father was with his Uncle at the station. Next to his bed on the tray he saw a pad of paper and a pen. With a shaking hand he picked up the pen and pulled the tray and pad closer. He thought for a long while before finally deciding.

_Sharpay, _he wrote, _Life goes on._

Then his hand faltered.


	21. Chapter 21

_Dear Sharpay,_

_Life goes on._

_And it has to. It can't stop. We can't freeze time for even a moment and we can't go back to happy times no matter how much we want to. The only way we can grow and learn is to go on and live our lives to the fullest extent possible. We make mistakes. We become people we never meant to be. We lose ourselves and sometimes we lose the people around us. But there is always a chance to recover. I've learned this much, and I think it's what I carry most importantly with me. Life goes on and we have to go with it . If it didn't and if we tried to go back we'd never want to go forward, and I want to go forward more than anything else. I hope you want to as well. The next time I see you I want to know that you've gone on with your life and that you're happy._

_I don't know how much you knew about Teddy's condition when you left, (and don't you think for one moment I'm letting you off the hook with that disappearing act) but he's doing a lot better now. For a while it was touch and go, and he was in critical condition, but that kid is just amazing. A few surgeries later and the swelling in his brain is all but gone. He's still in a coma, but the doctors are optimistic that he will wake up, and when he does that the damage will be minimal. Shar, when he does wake up he's going to want to see you. He won't understand why you had to go away, so please make some attempt to contact him. You don't have to leave your name. He'll know. He thinks of you as his big sister. You mean a lot to him._

_Things are going better for me, too. I'm almost completely recovered . Getting shot is no pretty thing, but my physical therapy is cool. I almost feel like a kid again with all this personal time I'm getting and I think I need it. I'm starting over and I'd like to think you'd be proud of me for giving it all another go, because I gotta tell you for a while I was thinking of throwing in the towel. _

_I became a different person when you and Teddy were in danger. I don't regret anything, though, don't think I do. I did what I had to, and maybe that wasn't the right mindset or maybe that was me being a man for the first time in my life and actually doing something meaningful. I don't really know. What I do know is that it changed me in good and bad ways, but especially a lot of bad ways. I want you to know I'm getting help for that. I'm dealing. Doing bad things doesn't make me a bad person. I used to say that to myself but I never really believed it until now. Now I'm sure._

_Things have gotten a bit better at school. Chad and I aren't nearly as close as we used to be, but we're friends again. It isn't because you went away. Don't think that. We just talked. I feel like that's all I'm doing lately, but it helped. We got a lot of feelings out in the open and when our friendship really does recover, we're going to be closer than ever. And Shar, he knows he owes you an apology. He says it took him a long while to realize you were making me grow up, and we were pulling apart because he wasn't. He's got a lot to say to you, positive, of course, and I really think you guys will get along a lot better the next time around._

_Basketball is still good. I couldn't play in the championship and we came in third in the division, but the new season starts up soon. It's hard to believe the entire season has passed and it's a new year, but I'm ready to have a championship my junior year. I wish you were there to cheer me on in the stands, but I understand. You never liked basketball much anyway._

_Gabriella and I are okay. I guess that's the best way to put it. We talk and we have a fragile friendship, but the way she looks at me sometimes makes me feel really guilty. I know I wronged her. She knows I never meant to, though, and that helps. And at least she got Taylor and Kelsi off my back. The group is back together, even if we're really careful with how we talk to each other and what we do talk about._

_I know Sam has been a lot more dutiful as a boyfriend than I have as far as the letters go. He's sent a dozen of them to the mail address so far, and this is my first. I'm sorry, but hurt takes a long time to heal, and not the physical kind. I needed to be ready for what I'd say in this letter and I wasn't until now. I started it during my hospital stay though. Does that count for something?_

_Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Sam really misses Ryan. I'm sure Ryan knows that, and Sam is a million times better than me at expressing himself, but I thought he should hear it from someone else. Sam's been loyal, too. I mean granted, he's pretty picky to begin with, but he hasn't so much as looked at another person. He really believes Ryan is going to come back to him and he'll wait as long as he needs to. I admire that. Shar, I'm not straying either, I love you, but Sam just deals with the separation a lot better than me. He's optimistic. I think I'm just realistic. So, tell Ryan that Sam's holding out for him. _

_I'm holding out for you, too._

_I'm going to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life and have lots of kids with you. I want to grow old with you, and love you just as much when we're teenagers as when we're old and have grandkids. I think my dad still finds that creepy, but what can I say. I'm sixteen now. I'm growing up. I know what I want. I'm not going to settle for anything less than perfection. You're the one._

_I'm driving now. I've got my license and everything. I think my parents got me my car out of guilt of me nearly dying and them hardly noticing. It's nothing special but it suits me. Whenever I see you next I'm going to take you for a ride in it. I'll even let you pick the music._

_Shar, I am happy. I want you to know that. You made me happy. I was living in a little bubble. You popped it and you were right to do so. We went through our trials and tribulations. We proved ourselves. You made me happy and I hope I made you as well. I'll be really upset with you if the next time I see you I don't see a smile on your face. You're the prettiest when you're smiling. _

_Also, I'm not sure if you know, but her name is Stephanie. She's a junior at a University in Nevada. She's fine, too. No explosions. She's none the wiser that her life almost ended. That doesn't make it right, obviously, but it's something._

_I know you can't contact me, and who knows how many other people are ready to step in and take Pao's place. I know you're still in danger and I wouldn't ever ask you to compromise yourself, but I do miss you. I can't say it enough. I guess I'll see you when I see you, and that'll have to be enough for now._

_I love you._

_-Troy._

_Oh, before I forget, feel free to laugh, I actually signed up for the next musical. Tryouts aren't until the end of next week, so I've got plenty of time to practice, but I'm really nervous. The guys on the team aren't big on the idea, but they understand and they're encouraging. I can tell they're trying to be extra supportive. They promised to come to the first show and everything, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Either way, things really are better now. I'm not content. I'm happy. Thank you._

Troy looked down at the letter that had taken him the better part of a year to write. The rest of his sophomore year had come and gone, and summer had passed in a blur, all without Sharpay at his side. He'd started his junior year unable to put into words what he needed to say to her, but halfway in he'd finally found his footing. His system of support was just that, and the letter had come to him all at once during a drive home from school.

He knew the words were only words, but he hoped when she read it she understood why it had been so delayed. He hoped she knew that he'd needed to find himself before he could even think of anyone else.

He mailed it with that in mind, hoping, but not knowing completely if it was even going to reach her. Sam said there was no guarantee that any of his had made it to Ryan, but he also had stated that he had a good feeling. And Troy could admit, Sam's feelings were hardly ever wrong.

Time passed slowly after the mailing of the letter. He wondered if it was symbolic of something. Before he'd confronted his demons and really gone personally where he'd needed to, the time had flown by, but now every moment after seemed excruciatingly slow. And maybe it was because the slower time moved the more time he had to fuss over the idea of actually being in a musical and chancing making a fool of himself in front of the entire student population.

When the day did arrive, Troy was extremely surprised to find Sam by his side.

"No offence," Troy said, smiling at his friend. "But you don't exactly seem the musical type to me."

Sam threw a raised eyebrow at him. "Neither do you."

Troy crossed his arms. "Sharpay liked musicals, and when I'm completely honest with myself, so do I. What's your excuse?"

Sam patted him on the back playfully. "That's so sweet. She'd be proud of you."

"No need to be so cynical," Troy snapped. "I'm always nervous enough as it. How about you don't help me with your words of praise."

Sam's face softened. "Yeah, sorry. I know this is a big thing for you."

"You're not trying out, are you?" Troy asked suspiciously.

"No way," Sam said. "Musicals are an Evans thing, not a Sam thing. I'm here for--dubious reasons."

"Dubious reasons? What's that supposed to mean? You're here to heckle me?"

"Not even," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just going to sit in the back like a good little boy and wait patiently."

"You're acting incredibly suspicious," Troy remarked. "What's going on?"

Sam held up his hands defensively. "I'm just here to cheer my buddy on. And this is the reception I get. Thanks, Troy."

"You have a math class during this period," Troy told him flatly. "And you're one of the rare breeds of teenager who actually likes that subject."

"Just get on stage," Sam said, pushing him towards it.

"Ah, Mr. Bolton," Ms. Darbus said as she spotted him. "I have to say it certainly is a surprise to see you here, but a welcomed one, so long as you take this very seriously. Now, if you'll just take your place we can get started."

Troy gulped hard, looking at the other people who planned to try out in the audience. "First? You want me to go first?" He'd always assumed he'd get to see a few other people go first, to see the way in which auditions were really done, as he doubted _A Course Line _was an accurate example.

"Yes, first, Mr. Bolton," she snapped at him. "Your father made it very clear to me that your precious basketball season is beginning soon and you're needed for practice."

Sighing deeply Troy nodded and climbed on stage, accepting a microphone from a stage hand.

"Kelsi will play the song, and you'll sing it to the best of your ability," Darbus explained. "I hope you've got your lines memorize, Mr. Bolton. Here in the theater we take the arts very seriously."

"Don't worry," Kelsi told him, brushing past him on her way to the piano. "You'll do just fine. You studied the script and all the songs, right?"

Troy nodded. He'd only been required to learn one act and the lead male's song, but he'd gone over nearly the entire musical and learned all the songs. He could take being told he couldn't sing, or that he had no talent for acting, but it was going to be on his terms. He was going to have exactly what he needed memorized. His friends had teased him endlessly about his dedication to the songs.

He looked over to Kelsi, giving her the affirmation that he was ready, and brought the microphone up to his mouth.

He froze when she began playing the song he wasn't auditioning for. He knew it well enough, identifying it as the second act's closing duet between the lead male and female, but he didn't have a partner. He wasn't sure how to proceed. The lead male didn't even have the first line.

When she came out on the other side of the stage, voice ringing out softly but evenly, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. There was simply no possible way in his rational mind that Sharpay Evans was standing adjacent to him--singing with him.

He tore his eyes away from her looking out suddenly into the audience into the back seat where he saw Sam waving at him with his left hand, right arm thrown around Ryan's shoulders. Both men shared a wide smile.

Sharpay cleared her throat, and as it echoed over the speakers it drew his attention back to her. It was his turn for a line, he realized, and he delivered it as strongly as he could, locking eyes with her.

He wasn't quite sure how, but he managed to finish the audition, hanging on almost desperately to the angelic vision Sharpay made.

Afterwards he scurried off stage, Sharpay's wrist caught tightly in his grasp. He knew he was almost dragging her offstage, but she put up no struggle and made no sound of complaint.

"You're dead," Troy hissed to Sam as he passed by the male and Ryan, still pulling Sharpay out of the theater with him.

"Just go kiss your girl," Sam told his retreating form.

Out in the nearly deserted hallway Troy trapped her against the lockers with his hands placed on either side of her head.

"You're back," he said, voice filled with relief.

She leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss. She brought up a hand and placed it around the back of his neck while her other went around his waist.

"I'm back," she confirmed, leaning against his strong shoulder.

"How?"

"There's time for that later," she brushed off, kissing him again. "More kissing now."

He mumbled an agreement and leaned in to brush his lips against hers. He pulled her in as deep as he could manage, feeling more alive than ever before.

"It's good to have you back, Shar," he said.

She smiled at him then, and he knew he had been right. She was the prettiest when she smiled.

-----------------------------------

**Ah, and so my friends, this concludes this fic. I've enjoyed writing it mostly, though I admit this didn't end entirely the way it was supposed to. Originally Harrison wasn't even a factor in the reveal of Sharpay and her brother. In fact, the entire ending was supposed to be different aside from the epilogue, which I wrote first and only then made the right changes to. I had initially intended for Troy and Ryan and Sharpay to have to pull a MacGyver and escape the bad guys, and it was Gabriella who gave the Evans away, though unintentionally, and meh, it just didn't flow properly, and that impaired my ability to finish the fic quickly. And ultimately I liked Troy Bolton as Jack Bauer much better.**

**There is, like I promised, a sequel of sorts in the works. As it stands, and I've got it outlined, it should be about five chapters, taking a look at Troy and Sharpay's relationship in the aftermath of this fic. And it's also a good opportunity to throw some good teenage angst in. I'm not exactly sure when the parts should start going up, but estimating it could be a soon as early December, but more realistically it will probably be somewhere in the mid to late time of that month. Look for loose ends to be tied up, including how Sharpay and Ryan are back, the conditions of Harrison, Henry and Fulton, whether Teddy improves or not, and if Sharpay and Troy can truly make their relationship work (though with me the answer to that question is pretty obvious).**

**Thank you all so much for reading this and enjoying it along with me.**


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